CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Creativity and Business International Network

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what payments have been made to Creative and Business International Network ambassadors to date.

Andy Burnham: No payments have been made to ambassadors for the Creative and Business International Network, and we do not expect to make any payments at any point in the future.

Culture: Education

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent on the Find Your Talent pilot projects to date; and how much he expects to be spent on them in each year to 2011.

Andy Burnham: The 10 Find Your Talent Pathfinders have been allocated a total of £4,312,070 in 2008-09, £8,030,923 in 2009-10, and £8,030,923 in 2010-11.
	To date, the pathfinders have received 50 per cent. of their budget for 2008-09, a total of £2,156,035, and will shortly receive the remainder.

Culture: Young People

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of people under the age of 16 who have  (a) performed music live to an audience,  (b) taken part in a theatre production,  (c) visited an art gallery,  (d) visited a library and  (e) visited an historic building in each of the last three years.

Barbara Follett: The Taking Part survey provides data on engagement with a range of cultural activities by children aged 11 to 15. The child element of the survey began in January 2006 and data are therefore available for 2006 and 2007 only.
	The following table shows the percentage of children aged 11 to 15 who had participated in the listed activities in the 12 months prior to interview:
	
		
			  Engagement in a selection of cultural activities during the past 12 months, by children aged 11 to 15 
			  Percentage 
			   2006  2007 
			 Played a musical instrument to an audience or rehearsed 21.3 22.2 
			 Rehearsed or performed in a play or drama 37.6 36.2 
			 Visited an exhibition or collection of art, photography or sculpture 17.7 17.2 
			 Visited a library 71.6 72.6 
			 Visited a historic environment site 72.0 73.2 
			  Note: These figures are survey estimates which each sit within a range. The data have been extracted from the report published in October 2008, 'Headline findings from the child survey 2007'. The full report and accompanying data workbooks are available from the DCMS website at http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/publications/5481.aspx

Departmental Consultants

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many expert advisers, excluding special advisers, have been commissioned by his Department since June 2007; and on which topics they have advised.

Andy Burnham: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 15 January 2009,  Official Report, column 899W.

Departmental Databases

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost of maintaining the databases owned and managed by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies was in (i) 2006, (ii) 2007 and (iii) 2008.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Database maintenance costs in my Department are made up of the cost of the software maintenance from the supplier and the day to day maintenance carried out by our outsourced IT service provider, Atos Origin. The latter is included in the outsourced ICT contract service charges with Atos Origin and it is not possible to disaggregate the cost from the service charges. My Department does not separately identify database management expenditure and aggregate information is not available before 2007-08.
	Database maintenance charges paid to software providers by my Department and its agency was £217,448 in 2007/8 and £168,394 so far this financial year.

Departmental Foreign Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many  (a) EU foreign nationals and  (b) non-EU foreign nationals are employed by his Department.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not currently employ any EU or non-EU foreign nationals.

Departmental Lobbying

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether Ministers in his Department received representations from  (a) Lord Moonie,  (b) Lord Taylor of Blackburn,  (c) Lord Snape and  (d) Lord Truscott in the last seven months.

Andy Burnham: Ministers in this Department have received no such representations.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department paid to the designated moderator at the event which it hosted at the Walker Art Gallery on 20 November 2008.

Andy Burnham: No payment was made to the moderator at the event hosted by DCMS at the Walker Art Gallery on 20 November 2008.

Departmental Pensions

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to advise staff of pension options available to them in relation to added years or additional voluntary contributions.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Members of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme receive an annual benefit statement showing the pension built up to date, and also a projection of their pension on retirement if they continue in service to scheme pension age. The benefit statement prompts the member to consider boosting their pension and provides details of the civil service pensions website where staff can obtain further information, including options for making additional voluntary contributions and a calculator to work out costs for added pension (previously added years).
	New entrants are informed of pension options in the employment offer and are provided with a pension information pack.
	Cabinet Office provides leaflets that explain added pension and additional voluntary contributions for members. The information is also available in scheme booklets. These are available on the civil service pensions website or on request from the member's pensions administrator.

Digital Britain Review

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of the Digital Britain Summit in April 2009; and where he expects the event to take place;
	(2)  what Digital Britain events are planned to take place in  (a) Wales,  (b) Scotland,  (c) Northern Ireland and  (d) England in the next 12 months; and how much is planned to be spent on staging each such event.

Andy Burnham: As set out in the Government's Digital Britain interim report, focused events will take place in the UK nations ahead of publication of the Government's final report as well as a summit due to take place in April. These events will provide an opportunity to explain thinking on the key issues as far as possible and allow interested stakeholders to make representations. The details of these events have not been fully developed and the costs are not yet available.

Digital Britain Review

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what original research has been commissioned by the Digital Britain Review; which organisations and individuals have been commissioned to conduct such research; what the estimated cost of each project is; and what plans he has to publish the outcomes of such research.

Andy Burnham: To date the following original research has been commissioned in relation to the Digital Britain Review:
	An analysis of the key trends and issues in the UK media and telecoms sector, provided by Enders Analysis;
	An audit, commissioned from Ofcom, of their existing research; and
	A very small space on an omnibus survey looking at the importance of digital media now and in the future.
	The research produced by Enders Analysis and Ofcom was published as Annexes to the Interim Report on 29 January and is available at:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/broadcasting/5631.aspx
	The responses provided for the omnibus survey will be incorporated into the final report due in the summer.
	It would not be appropriate to provide the costs of each individual piece of research for reasons of commercially confidentiality. However, the total cost is estimated at around £21,350.

Economic Situation

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions his Department has had with outside organisations to discuss policy on reducing the effect of the recession on matters within his Department's responsibility.

Andy Burnham: I have regular engagements—on a range of issues relating to the economy—with many organisations connected to the sectors for which I have ministerial responsibility. This includes other Government Departments.

Music: Young People

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many young people were mentored as part of the Music Mentoring initiative in each of the last three years.

Barbara Follett: Youth Music is unable to provide the information in the form requested. However, Youth Music has advised that, in the period 2006-08, a total of 1,627 young people received one-to-one, small group, and large group mentoring; and 166 young people were engaged as peer mentors and were also mentored. In the period 2008-09, a total of 764 young people have so far received one-to-one and small group mentoring, with 81 young people working as peer mentors.

Portable Antiquities Scheme

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what his policy is on the future of the Portable Antiquities Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: In recognition of the importance of the portable antiquities scheme, I am pleased to confirm that funding remains committed for 2009 to 2011. In November 2008, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA), which provides the largest contribution towards funding the scheme, confirmed allocation of £1.3 million this year (2009-10), which will rise to over £1.4 million in 2010-11. The MLA has also stated that it intends to maintain the scheme at present levels of activity.

Sports: Private Sector

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  how many organisations have subscribed to his Department's Medal Hopes scheme; and how many are in negotiation to subscribe;
	(2)  how much funding for elite sport has been raised by the Medal Hopes scheme to date; and how much he expects to be raised in each of the next three years;
	(3)  how much funding for elite sport has been raised by the Medal Hopes scheme to date; and how much he expects to be raised by the scheme in each of the next three years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Negotiations are ongoing with various potential private sector partners and to release further information regarding these negotiations at this time would prejudice commercial interests. However I will make an announcement in due course.

Swimming Teachers' Association

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what consideration he gave to including the Swimming Teachers Association in the range of stakeholders consulted on the Free Swimming Programme.

Andy Burnham: The Free Swimming programme was designed in close consultation with Sport England, the Local Government Association, the Chief Cultural and Leisure Officers' Association and the Amateur Swimming Association (as the national governing body for swimming).
	My officials recently met the Swimming Teachers' Association to discuss future work and policy initiatives concerning the programme. We will continue to involve them in future discussions as appropriate.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Support Agency: Manpower

Terry Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff were employed in  (a) the Child Support Agency and  (b) the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission in each quarter since March 2008; and how many are expected to be employed in each quarter to December 2012.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 22 January 2009
	The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have therefore asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 11 February 2009:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency and the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner. The Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff were employed in (a) the Child Support Agency and (b) the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission in each quarter since March 2008; and how many are expected to be employed in each quarter to December 2012.
	The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission took responsibility for the Child Support Agency from 1 November 2008, at which point all staff employed by the Agency transferred to the Commission. The table below sets out the number of full-time equivalent employees directly employed by the Agency and the Commission in the last four quarters and the current estimate for the quarter ending March 2009, rounded to the nearest hundred.
	
		
			   March 2008  June 2008  September 2008  December 2008  March 2009( 1) 
			 Agency 9500 9500 9400 — — 
			 Commission — — 5 9300 8900 
			 (1 )Estimated 
		
	
	The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission's projected level of staffing for the remaining two years of the current spending review period will continue to be kept under review to ensure that the Commission lives within its allocated funding.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Maintenance

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the  (a) mean amount and  (b) range of individual debts for which the Child Support Agency has obtained liability orders in each region of England was in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many liability orders the Child Support Agency has obtained through the courts in each region of England and Wales in each of the last three years;
	(3)  how many liability orders were issued by the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission and the Child Support Agency in each region in each of the last three years.

Kitty Ussher: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system including the Child Support Agency. I have therefore asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about the Child Support Agency and the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	and;
	and;
	How many liability orders were issued by the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission in each region in each of the last three years in respect of which its framework document states that he is accountable to Parliament.
	The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission took responsibility for the child maintenance system including the Child Support Agency from 1 November 2008. Neither the Child Support Agency nor the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission has the power to issue liability orders in respect of child maintenance debt; rather an application is made to the Court which grants the liability order.
	The Commission routinely publishes Information showing the number of liability orders granted on a national level, in Table 21 of the Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary of Statistics (QSS). The latest version is available in the House of Commons Library or online at the following link:
	http://www.childmaintenance.org/publications/xls/csa_dec08_tables.xlslnformation
	The additional information you requested on the overall number of liability orders granted, the mean amount of the debt secured as well as the range of debts secured, is only available for each region from 2007. Therefore the information set out in the attached table covers the year from November 2007 to October 2008, the latest data available.
	
		
			  Liability Orders granted in England and Wales from November 2007 to October 2008 
			  Region  Liability  orders granted  Mean( 1 ) (£)  Minimum( 2 ) (£)  Maximum( 3 ) (£) 
			 North East 1,500 4,300 0 54,000 
			 North West 3,300 5,000 0 67,000 
			 Yorkshire/Humberside 2,400 5,000 0 66,000 
			 East Midlands 1,800 5,300 100 66,000 
			 West Midlands 2,600 5,700 0 74,000 
			 Eastern 2,000 6,100 100 80,000 
			 London 2,000 7,100 0 69,000 
			 South East 2,800 6,000 0 72,000 
			 South West 1,900 5,400 0 68,000 
			 Wales 1,300 4,800 100 65,000 
			 (1) Mean figures are rounded to the nearest £100 (2) Minimum figures are rounded to the nearest £100 (3) Maximum figures are rounded to the nearest £1000  Notes: 1. Liability Orders granted have been allocated to Government Office regions based on the residential postcode of the non-resident parent at the time of the court hearing 2. A small number of cases exist where the postcode is not recorded on the management information. As such, these can not be allocated to a region 3. Liability Orders granted are rounded to the nearest 100

Children: Maintenance

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  on how many occasions the Child Support Agency has taken action to enforce a liability order in each region of England in each of the last three years;
	(2)  what steps have been taken to enforce liability orders issued by the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission and the Child Support Agency in each region in each of the last three years.

Kitty Ussher: pursuant to the reply, 5 February 2009, Official Report, c. 1419W
	The reply to PQ 250962 was correct but incomplete. I would like to add that up to 1 November 2008, neither the Department nor its Agencies apart from the Child Support Agency used liability orders to recover debt.
	The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission took responsibility for the Child Support Agency from 1 November 2008. The Commission will therefore continue to apply to the Courts for liability orders in respect of Child Maintenance Debt. I have therefore asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the available information on liability orders relating to child maintenance debt as requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about the use of liability orders, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	and:
	and:
	What steps have been taken to enforce liability orders issued by the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission in each region in each of the last three years in respect of which its framework document states that the Secretary of State is accountable to Parliament.
	The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission took responsibility for the child maintenance system including the Child Support Agency from 1 November 2008. Neither the Child Support Agency nor the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission has the power to issue liability orders in respect of child maintenance debt; rather an application is made to the Court which grants the liability order.
	The actions open to the Commission to enforce a liability order include referral to bailiffs, applying for a County Court Judgement Order, applying for a Third Party Debt Order or Charging Order, applying for an Order for Sale on the debtors property and referral to the Courts for further consideration of available sanctions at the Court's discretion which include committal or disqualification from driving.
	Information at a national level on the number of liability orders granted and additional enforcement action taken as a result is routinely published in the Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary of Statistics. The latest copy of which is available in the House of Commons library or on online at the following link:
	http://www.childmaintenance.org/publications/statistics.html
	The additional information you have requested on actions taken to enforce liability orders granted by the Courts in each region is only available from 2007. Therefore the information set out in the attached table covers the year from November 2007 to October 2008, the latest data available.
	
		
			  Actions taken to enforce liability orders in England: November 2007 to October 2008 
			  Region  Number of actions to enforce liability orders 
			 North East 1,600 
			 North West 3,700 
			 Yorkshire/Humberside 2,700 
			 East Midlands 2,100 
			 West Midlands 3,000 
			 Eastern 2,200 
			 London 1,900 
			 South East 3,500 
			 South West 2,400 
			  Notes: 1. Actions include cases referred to bailiffs, where a County Court Judgment Order has been imposed, a Third Party Debt Order or Charging Order application made, or a referral for committal or disqualification of driving licence applied for or Orders for Sale applied for. 2. A small number of actions exist where the postcode is not recorded on the management information. As such, these cannot be allocated to a region. 3. Figures rounded to the nearest 100.

Children: Maintenance

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many representations received by the Child Support Agency were not opened as cases owing to the residence of the non-resident parent being outside the UK in each year since 1999;
	(2)  how many cases involving child maintenance payments were not pursued by the Child Support Agency owing to the departure from the UK of the non-resident parent in each year since 1999.

Kitty Ussher: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have therefore asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 11 February 2009:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	and;
	How many cases involving child maintenance payments were not pursued by the Child Support Agency owing to the departure from the UK of the non-resident parent in each year since 1999.
	The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission's jurisdiction is limited to cases where the parent with care, non-resident parent and qualifying child(ren) are all habitually resident in the UK. However, there are exceptions if the non-resident parent is resident overseas but, for example, employed by the Crown, and therefore classed as habitually resident in the UK for child maintenance purposes.
	The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission holds limited information from 2004, relating to the numbers of cases maintained on the CS2 computer system where the non-resident parent is recorded as not being resident in the UK. The Commission therefore does not hold information on the number of applications that fail to progress as the non-resident parent is not resident in the UK. Neither is it able to identify cases where the non-resident parent is abroad but treated as being habitually resident in the UK for child maintenance purposes.
	Such information as is available is set out in the table below, which shows the number of cases with a calculation recorded on the CS2 computer system where the non resident parent is shown as not resident in the UK and in how many of these cases maintenance has not been received in the previous three months.
	
		
			  As at December  each year :  Non-resident parent abroad  No maintenance received 
			 2004 9,800 3,400 
			 2005 7,800 2,500 
			 2006 6,700 2,200 
			 2007 6,200 2,100 
			 2008 6,900 2,300 
		
	
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Maintenance

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department has taken to enforce payments under child maintenance agreements by non-resident parents living outside the United Kingdom.

Kitty Ussher: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have therefore asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about child maintenance, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to enforce payments under child maintenance agreements by non-resident parents living outside the United Kingdom. (254143)
	The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission's jurisdiction is limited to cases where the parent with care, non-resident parent and qualifying child(ren) are all habitually resident in the UK. Although there are exceptions if the non-resident parent is resident overseas but, for example, employed by the Crown, in most cases where the non-resident parent leaves the UK permanently, the Commission's jurisdiction ceases. This means that the Commission is unable to enforce the payment of child maintenance in these cases, although where the non-resident parent has assets which remain in the United Kingdom, the Commission can take action to enforce any remaining debt in a particular case.
	The Official Solicitor and Public Trustee is the authority in England and Wales responsible for the enforcement of maintenance orders overseas. The UK has reciprocal arrangements with more than one hundred countries, which enable maintenance obligations to be established or recognised and enforced if the non-resident parent resides in one of those countries. The parent with care may apply to a magistrate's court for a maintenance order to be enforced overseas and procedures also exist to enable the parent with care to ask the foreign authorities to create an order for maintenance on their behalf. However this route cannot be used to enforce Child Support Agency debt that was incurred prior to the non-resident parent's move abroad.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Poverty

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children were living in poverty in  (a) the City of Southampton,  (b) Test Valley borough,  (c) the ceremonial county of Hampshire and  (d) the UK in each of the last five years.

Kitty Ussher: Child poverty statistics, published in the Households Below Average Income series, only allow a breakdown of the overall number of children in relative poverty at Government office region level or for inner or outer London. This means information for city of Southampton, the Test Valley borough and the ceremonial county of Hampshire is not available.
	Available information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of children living in households with incomes below 60 per cent. of median, 2002-03 to 2006-07, Before Housing Costs, United Kingdom 
			   Number of children (million) 
			 2002-03 2.9 
			 2003-04 2.9 
			 2004-05 2.7 
			 2005-06 2.8 
			 2006-07 2.9 
			  Notes: 1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income, sourced from the Family Resources Survey. 2. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 3. The reference period for Households Below Average Income figures are single financial years. 4. The income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication 'Households Below Average Income' series, which uses net disposable household income, adjusted (or "equivalised") for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 5. Incomes have been equivalised using OECD equivalisation factors. 6. Numbers of children have been rounded to the nearest hundred thousand children.  Source: Households Below Average Income, 2006-07

Children: Poverty

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of his Department's effectiveness in contributing towards the achievement of the Government's target to abolish child poverty.

Kitty Ussher: Parental employment is the single biggest determinant of family income and children in out-of-work families are at a high risk of poverty. Work, therefore, continues to be the most sustainable route out of poverty. Our reforms of the welfare system have focused on helping people move into work, and increased employment has played an important role in reducing the number of children in relative poverty by 600,000 since 1998-99.
	In particular, we have reduced the number of children in workless households by around 445,000 since 1997. The proportion of children in workless households currently stands at 15.5 per cent., down by 3.3 percentage points since 1997. We have increased the Great Britain lone parent employment rate which now stands at 56.3 per cent. The lone parent employment rate has increased by 11.6 percentage points since 1997 and this translates into an extra 320,000 lone parents in employment.
	In addition to these reforms of the welfare system, the reforms we have already made to the child maintenance system, along with our intention to introduce a full child maintenance disregard, will lift over around 100,000 children out of poverty.
	However, we recognise that there is more that we need to do, particularly in these turbulent economic times. This is why we are continuing the process of welfare reform and introducing into legislation our commitment to eradicate child poverty by 2020.

Children: Poverty

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children in  (a) England,  (b) the North East,  (c) the Tees Valley and  (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency were considered to be living in severe poverty in each year since 1997.

Kitty Ussher: There is no official or agreed definition of severe poverty. The Households Below Average Income series presents a range of low-income thresholds (based on 50, 60 and 70 per cent. of median income).
	Child poverty statistics, published in the Households Below Average Income series, only allow a breakdown of the overall number of children in relative poverty at Government office region level or for inner or outer London. This means information for the Tees Valley, and the Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland constituency is not available.
	Data are available for England on a single-year basis. Regional data are presented as three-year averages, due to variability in single-year estimates. Figures for England and the North East region looking at the number of children in households below 60 per cent. of median are shown in the following tables. Statistics based on other thresholds are given in the Households Below Average Income publication, a copy of which is available in the Library.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of children living in households with incomes below 60 per cent. of median in 1997-98 to 2006-07, Before Housing Costs, England 
			   Number of children (million) 
			 1997-98 2.9 
			 1998-99 2.8 
			 1999-2000 2.8 
			 2000-01 2.5 
			 2001-02 2.5 
			 2002-03 2.4 
			 2003-04 2.4 
			 2004-05 2.3 
			 2005-06 2.4 
			 2006-07 2.4 
			  Source: Households Below Average Income, 2006-07 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of children living in households with incomes below 60 per cent. of median in 1997-98 to 2006-07, Before Housing Costs, North East England 
			   Number of children (million) 
			 1997-98 to 1999-2000 0.2 
			 1998-99 to 2000-01 0.2 
			 1999-2000 to 2001-02 0.2 
			 2000-01 to 2002-03 0.2 
			 2001-02 to 2003-04 0.2 
			 2002-03 to 2004-05 0.2 
			 2003-04 to 2005-06 0.2 
			 2004-05 to 2006-07 0.2 
			  Notes: 1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income, sourced from the Family Resources Survey. 2. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 3. The reference period for Households Below Average Income figures are single financial years. 4. The income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication 'Households Below Average Income' series, which uses net disposable household income, adjusted (or "equivalised") for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living.  5. Incomes have been equivalised using OECD equivalisation factors. 6. Numbers of children have been rounded to the nearest hundred thousand children.  Source: Households Below Average Income, 2006-07

Cold Weather Payments

Adam Ingram: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish the professional advice received from the Met Office on the basis of which it was decided that Bishopton weather station was the most appropriate station for the determination of cold weather payments for East Kilbride.

Kitty Ussher: The advice received from the Met Office is as follows:
	"The Cold Weather Payments scheme involves linking groups of postcode areas to weather stations that report to the Met Office on a daily basis. 76 such stations are currently used in the scheme. Each postcode area is linked to a station with the most similar climate in terms of mean winter temperature (mean for 1971-2000). The linkages that have been made also take account of topography, the extent of built-up areas and the distance from available weather stations.
	East Kilbride is linked to Glasgow-Bishopton, approximately 15 miles to the north-west. The winter mean temperature at East Kilbride is 3.3 degrees Celsius and at Bishopton it is 3.7 degrees Celsius. An alternative station used in the Cold Weather Payments scheme is Salsburgh, approximately 12 miles north-east of East Kilbride. There the winter mean temperature is 2.6 degrees Celsius. On that basis, the more suitable linkage is Bishopton, which is used for almost all the Glasgow postcodes."

Community Care Grants

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the maximum sum payable under the Community Care Grant Scheme for provision of a television set is;
	(2)  whether applications may be made under the community care grant for funds to purchase a motor vehicle; and if he will make a statement.

Kitty Ussher: There is no upper limit to the amount that may be awarded for a Community Care Grant. However, discretionary Community Care Grants are awarded within a budgetary framework, and decision makers use a range of prices that reflect this.
	An applicant may apply to the Social Fund Community Care Grant scheme for any type of expense including a motor vehicle or television. However, an award may only be made if it contributes sufficiently to the overall aim of supporting care in the community.

Housing Benefit

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he has taken to reform the housing allowance scheme in the last five years; what discussions he has had with local authorities on this issue in the last two years; and if he will make a statement.

Kitty Ussher: Local housing allowance was rolled out nationally in April 2008 for customers in the deregulated private rented sector who make a new claim for housing benefit, and for existing customers who move address. It is a new way of calculating the rent element of housing benefit based on the area in which a customer lives and his/her household size. Local housing allowance is paid to the tenant rather than the landlord in most circumstances. Tenants are able to keep any excess benefit up to a maximum of £15 per week that is over and above the cost of their rent.
	Local housing allowance was introduced in nine pathfinder authorities in 2003-04 and was subject to extensive and independent evaluation. A further nine authorities implemented the scheme in 2005 to test operational readiness.
	We are closely monitoring how the local housing allowance scheme is working in practice and will undertake a review during the first two years of operation following national rollout.
	At Budget 2008 the Government announced a review of the working age housing benefit system. This joint DWP/HMT internal review of housing benefit is looking at the effectiveness of the system, particularly in promoting work incentives, efficiency and fairness and to ensure that it represents value for money for the taxpayer.
	The December Welfare Reform White Paper, "Raising expectations and increasing support: reforming welfare for the future" provided a formal update on the review outlining our next steps and the key issues we would like to address.
	We also announced our intention to launch a public consultation on housing benefit reform this year, a process which will begin with the publication of a housing benefit reform consultation document.
	We meet with local authority representatives regularly, both formally, through statutory liaison with the local authority associations, and through regular liaison with individual local authorities. We often discuss the local housing allowance at these meetings.

Housing Benefit: Essex

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were in receipt of housing benefit in  (a) West Chelmsford constituency and  (b) Essex in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 9 February 2009
	Housing benefit information is not available at constituency level.
	The most recent available information is in the table.
	
		
			  Number of recipients of housing benefit in Essex, 2003-07 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Great Britain 3,813,560 3,943,590 3,981,020 4,024,280 4,040,940 
			 Essex 62,080 65,140 66,780 68,420 69,760 
			  Notes: 1. The data refer to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. The figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System. Quarterly 100 per cent. case load stock-count taken in August 2003 to August 2007.

Income Support: Lone Parents

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many lone parents are claiming income support; and how many of those have a youngest child under  (a) 12,  (b) 10 and  (c) seven years of age.

Kitty Ussher: The information requested is in the table.
	
		
			  Number of lone parents claiming income support 
			   May 2008 
			 All 738,640 
			 Youngest child aged under 7 459,690 
			 Youngest child aged 7 to less than 10 114,350 
			 Youngest child aged 10 to less than 12 65,260 
			  Note: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10; some additional disclosure control has also been applied.  Source:  DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Income Support: Mortgages

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effects of the ending of emergency payments of income support for mortgage interest on vulnerable mortgage holders; and what steps he plans to take through the benefits system to reduce the risk of repossessions among such mortgage holders.

Kitty Ussher: Customers in vulnerable groups, and those with existing housing costs as defined under the previous rules that existed before 5 January 2009, will receive help with 100 per cent. of their eligible housing costs after a waiting period of 13 weeks under the new rules.
	This compares favourably with the previous position because although such customers received 50 per cent. of eligible housing costs after eight weeks under the old rules, they had to wait 26 weeks before receiving 100 per cent. Such customers will now be better off overall by four weeks of full eligible interest in the first 26 weeks of their claims than they would have been under the rules that existed before 5 January. We believe that this more generous help, taken together with the increased capital limit from £100,000 to £200,000, will reduce the risk of repossessions.

Industrial Health and Safety: Fire Services

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will review the effects of the Working at Height (Amendment) Regulations 2007 on the normal workplace activities of firefighters employed by fire and rescue services; and if he will make a statement.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 9 February 2009
	The Work at Height (Amendment) Regulations 2007 changed the detail of the requirements under the Work at Height Regulations 2005 with respect to certain caving and climbing activities. As such, the 2007 regulations have very limited application to the fire and rescue service and no review is considered to be needed. In 2006, the Department for Communities and Local Government published guidance for the fire and rescue service on the practical application of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 to fire and rescue service activities. The Health and Safety Executive expects that the fire and rescue service itself will keep this practical guidance under review to ensure it continues to represent best practice.

Local Employment Partnerships

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment has been made of the effectiveness of local employment partnerships in assisting jobseekers into employment; and if he will make a statement.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 9 February 2009
	Local employment partnerships (LEPs) aim to help 250,000 people into work between now and the end of 2010. So far, over 100,000 people have found work with over 18,000 employers through LEPs. It is too early to estimate the net effect of the policy on the movement of jobseekers from benefit into employment. A full evaluation of LEP will be carried out over the next two years.

Pensioners: Income Support

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) single pensioners and  (b) pensioner couples will become eligible for (i) guarantee credit only, (ii) savings credit only and (iii) guarantee and savings credit as a result of the changes to the minimum income guarantee level announced in the Pre-Budget Report; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Following the announcement in the pre-Budget report of the proposed basic state pension and pension credit benefit rates for 2009-10, the number of pensioner households eligible to pension credit is forecast to remain broadly constant between 2008-09 and 2009-10.

Pensions: Council Tax Benefit

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent steps his Department has taken to  (a) increase the take-up of council tax benefit and  (b) simplify the procedure for pensioners to claim.

Kitty Ussher: Council tax benefit makes an important contribution to the financial security of around 2.6 million pensioner households. We therefore want to ensure that, they get the money they are entitled to.
	We are making good progress. When pension credit was introduced in October 2003, we invested almost £0.5 billion a year in increasing the amounts on which housing benefit and council tax benefit are based. This meant that around 2 million pensioner households became either entitled to council tax benefit for the first time or qualified for more help.
	People on the guarantee credit or guarantee plus savings credit of pension credit (with or without the savings credit) can get maximum council tax benefit. They are treated as having no income or capital. People with savings credit only may still be entitled to some council tax benefit.
	All pension credit customers who are identified as having council tax liability are encouraged to claim council tax benefit when they make their initial claim for pension credit.
	Since December 2005, people applying for pension credit have been able to access housing benefit and council tax benefit at the same time via one phone call to the Pension, Disability and Carers Service—one phone call, one number, three benefits. Pension, Disability and Carers Service staff completed a short claim form on the customer's behalf, and sent it to them for signing and returning it to the local authority for processing.
	From October 2008, we dispensed with the claim form. Pension, Disability and Carers Service now pass the information direct to the local authority. Previously around 40 per cent. of pre-populated council tax benefit claim forms sent to customers for checking and forwarding to the local authority were never sent to the local authority.
	Our longer term aim is to make support for council tax liability as accessible as possible and we will continue to examine ways of achieving this.

Social Fund

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of individual applications to the Social Fund for  (a) community care grants,  (b) budgeting loans and  (c) crisis loans were successful in each month from July to December 2008.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 3 February 2009
	 The available information is given in the table.
	
		
			  Discretionary Social Fund in Great Britain from July to December 2008 
			   Percentage of applications processed which were initially successful 
			   Community Care Grants  Budgeting loans  Crisis loans 
			 July 2008 46 68 66 
			 August 2008 45 76 67 
			 September 2008 43 79 67 
			 October 2008 42 79 67 
			 November 2008 41 74 68 
			 December 2008 41 76 70 
			  Note:  Figures do not include awards made after review.  Source:  DWP Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System.

Unemployment Benefits

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he last reviewed his Department's procedures for providing assistance to those moving in and out of short-term employment.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 9 February 2009
	Jobcentre Plus provides support for all jobseeker's allowance claimants from day one of a claim. This can include advice on effective job-search strategies, matching people to the many thousands of new vacancies that come up every day and, where appropriate, help with writing a CV, filling in job applications, or with accessing opportunities to refresh or develop new skills.
	We have introduced key changes to the jobseeker's allowance rapid reclaim process. Jobseekers can now apply for benefit under the rapid reclaim process up to 26 weeks after a previous claim to the same benefit, rather than within 12 weeks as before. As much of the relevant information is already held, rapid reclaim cases can be processed more quickly, though this is dependent on the jobseeker's circumstances remaining the same as when they left benefit.
	Temporary jobs can provide valuable work experience and can often be a stepping stone to more permanent employment. Rapid reclaim supports the incentive to take up employment, including short-term periods of full-time work, by easing concerns about reapplying for benefits should the work suddenly come to an end.

Winter Fuel Payments: Expenditure

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost in real terms to the public purse of paying winter fuel allowance in respect of all children under five in receipt of the higher care component of disability living allowance in each of the next five years.

Rosie Winterton: Winter fuel payments are made to people aged 60 or over. The estimated annual cost of extending winter fuel payments in respect of all children under five in receipt of the highest rate care component of disability living allowance in each of the next five years is in the table.
	
		
			  Estimated annual cost of extending winter fuel payments in respect of all children under five in receipt of the highest rate care component of disability living allowance 
			   Total cost in each year: 2008-09 prices (£ million) 
			 2008-09 4.7 
			 2009-10 3.7 
			 2010-11 3.8 
			 2011-12 3.8 
			 2012-13 3.9 
		
	
	The estimated annual cost is presented in real terms at 2008/9 prices. The estimate for 2008-09 is based on a £250 payment, which includes a one-off additional payment of £50 for this year. The estimates are based on a £200 payment for subsequent years.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Members of Parliament: Duration

David Amess: To ask the Leader of the House what the average length of service in the House is for current hon. Members; and if she will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The average length of service for current hon. Members is 13.4 years.

Members of Parliament: Retirement

David Amess: To ask the Leader of the House how many hon. Members who retired at the  (a) 1983,  (b) 1987,  (c) 1992,  (d) 1997,  (e) 2001 and  (f) 2005 general elections were aged 65 and over at the date of retirement; and how long each had served in the House on retirement.

Chris Bryant: In total 258 members aged 65 and over left the House at general elections from 1983 to 2005. The following table summarises the position.
	
		
			  General election 
			   Members over 65 retiring  Length of service 
			   Total  Stood down  Defeated  Under 9 years  9 to under 21 years  21 to under 33 years  Over 33 years 
			 1983 34 31 3 1 8 12 13 
			 1987 46 42 4 2 12 23 9 
			 1992 45 42 3 1 7 29 8 
			 1997 68 56 12 0 15 50 3 
			 2001 33 30 3 3 11 11 8 
			 2005 32 27 5 4 8 13 7

WALES

Departmental Impact Assessments

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many equalities impact assessments his Department has undertaken in the last 12 month period for which figures are available; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of such assessments.

Paul Murphy: None.

Digital Broadcasting

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had on digital inclusion in Wales with the First Minister; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Murphy: The deputy Minister for digital inclusion, the Under-Secretary of State for Wales, my hon. Friend the Member for Caerphilly (Wayne David) and I have discussed the issue on a number of occasions with the Welsh Assembly Government Minister with responsibility for digital inclusion, to ensure that the actions set out in the UK Government's Digital Inclusion Action Plan are informed by, and reinforce WAG initiatives.
	I know that the Welsh Affairs Committee is currently conducting an inquiry into the issue, and I look forward to giving evidence to the Committee.

Olympic Games 2012

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the First Minister on Wales' contribution to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Murphy: I regularly meet with the First Minister to discuss a range of issues that affect Wales, including the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
	Wales has already developed an international reputation as a nation capable of hosting, and winning, successful major sporting events, which has been reflected with the Australian Paralympic Committee's commitment to be one of the first to confirm their intention of coming to Wales. Wales has already secured Olympic Football for the Millennium Stadium.
	The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and LOCOG (London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games) expect to directly procure £6 billion worth of contracts. The Government and the Welsh Assembly Government have actively encouraged small and medium enterprises to register and compete for these contracts through the CompeteFor programme. So far, 1,000 Welsh businesses have registered on the website. I raised the issue of the business opportunities presented by the Games at the National Economic Summit in North Wales on 6 February.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Anglo Leasing

Mark Oaten: To ask the Solicitor-General how much the Serious Fraud Office has spent to date on its investigation into Anglo Leasing.

Vera Baird: The Anglo Leasing investigation cost £48,975.16 between September 2007, when the investigation began, and January 2009 when the investigation was terminated.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Emissions: Agriculture

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what policies his Department has in place to achieve carbon dioxide emissions reductions in the agricultural sector.

Jane Kennedy: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government are currently developing a policy framework to reduce all greenhouse gases (GHG) including carbon dioxide from the agriculture, forestry and land management sectors.
	This work will feed into the Government's response to recommendations made in the Committee on Climate Change's inaugural report.

Fuel Poverty

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the proportion of  (a) rural and  (b) urban households which are in fuel poverty.

Joan Ruddock: A breakdown based on the rurality of the household, as defined by the National Statistics Definition, is available in the "Fuel Poverty Statistics: Detailed Tables 2006" available online at:
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file48038.pdf
	Table 35 holds the following information for England only:
	
		
			   Percentage households in group  Number household s  in group (thousand)   
			  Rurality  Not fuel poor  Fuel poor  Not fuel poor  Fuel poor  Total number of households (thousand)  Percentage total fuel poor in group 
			 Urban 89.6 10.4 15,253 1,768 17,022 72.7 
			 Town and fringe 89.1 10.9 1,857 227 2,084 9.3 
			 Village, hamlet and isolated dwellings 79.4 20.6 1,679 437 2,115 18.0 
			 Total 88.5 11.5 18,789 2,432 21,221 100.0

Fuel Poverty: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his estimate is of the number of individuals in fuel poverty in Peterborough constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 16 December 2008
	Fuel poverty is defined at a household level and as such a figure relating to individuals is not available. The most recently available sub-regional split of fuel poverty relates to 2003, and shows that in Peterborough, there were around 4,100 fuel poor households.

Housing: Insulation

Don Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what assistance his Department provides to people who are living in hard-to-heat houses to enable them to insulate their homes;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to encourage people living in hard-to-heat houses to improve their energy efficiency;
	(3)  what steps his Department is taking to provide energy efficiency tools suitable for hard-to-heat homes.

Joan Ruddock: The Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) is the Government's principal policy on insulating homes in Great Britain. Under CERT the major energy suppliers have an obligation to promote household carbon saving measures such as insulation. The most important measures for hard-to-treat homes are solid wall insulation and central heating. Suppliers installed around 80,000 heating measures and around 40,000 solid wall measures under the previous obligation period to March 2008, mostly in partnership with social landlords. We recognise that the high up-front cost of solid wall insulation makes it difficult for suppliers to justify this investment. Under CERT we have therefore introduced specific incentives to help improve the financial viability of these measures, with a particular focus on solid-walled homes which are not on the gas grid.
	We also continue to assess innovative products, including solid wall insulation, for inclusion in the Warm Front scheme—the Government's main fuel poverty programme in England (fuel poverty is a devolved matter). There will be a focus on improving the energy efficiency of hard-to-treat properties in the forthcoming Community Energy Saving Programme, the proposals for which will be consulted on shortly.
	In addition to insulation, through CERT we also promote other energy efficiency measures, such as low energy lamps and high efficiency appliances. We also recognise the value of providing information and advice on energy use and the best steps to make a home more energy efficient. We already provide an on-line carbon calculator, and will shortly be consulting on new provisions to encourage the deployment of real-time energy displays and home energy efficiency advice under CERT.

Kingsnorth Climate Camp

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on what dates staff transferred from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to his Department have since their transfer communicated with  (a) E.ON and  (b) Kent Police regarding the Kingsnorth Climate Camp.

Mike O'Brien: Staff who dealt with the energy sector for the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) transferred to the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) following its creation in October 2008. Since their transfer, there has been no communication between DECC staff and E.ON UK or the Kent police regarding the Kingsnorth Climate Camp.

Natural Gas: Falkland Islands

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assistance his Department plans to provide to the Falkland Islands government to extract oil and gas.

Gareth Thomas: I have been asked to reply.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Lincoln, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Gillian Merron), on 21 January 2009,  Official Report, column 1526W.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of shots fired by the armed forces in Helmand province in  (a) 2006 and  (b) 2007; and how many shots were fired in the latest period for which figures are available.

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many rounds of ammunition have been discharged by British forces in Afghanistan in each rotation since 2006.

John Hutton: Officials are collating and validating the data needed and this is taking longer than anticipated. I will write to the hon. Members when this work is complete and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Apprentices

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 21 May 2008,  Official Report, column 308W, on apprentices, how many apprentices his Department employs.

Kevan Jones: For the last 2007-08 reporting period, the Department delivered 8,758 apprentice completions.

Apprentices

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 21 May 2008,  Official Report, column 308W, on apprentices, what progress his Department has made towards the Government's commitment to employ over 1,000 apprentices in central Government Departments and agencies in 2008-09.

Kevan Jones: Government Skills is planning to prepare a central response based on the numbers participating in the National Apprenticeship Pathfinder in 2008-09. This will be in the form of a table showing participating Departments and numbers of apprentices on the programme.

Departmental Foreign Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) EU foreign nationals and  (b) non-EU foreign nationals are employed by his Department.

Kevan Jones: Data on the number of EU foreign nationals employed in the Department are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. There are 46 non-EU foreign nationals currently employed under an alien's certificate in compliance with the provision of the Aliens Employment Act 1955.

Departmental Redundancy

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 26 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 1557-8W, on redundancy, what estimate he has made of the annual payroll savings resulting from his Department's staff exit schemes in  (a) 2005-06,  (b) 2006-07,  (c) 2007-08 and  (d) 2008-09 excluding the cost of severance packages; and what estimate he has made of the equivalent figures for 2009-10.

Kevan Jones: To provide this information in respect of all exit schemes run across the Department and its agencies would require a Department-wide trawl as information is not held centrally. This could be done only at disproportionate cost. Information on releases made through centrally-funded exit schemes is held centrally, however, and is shown in the following table. Information is shown at individuals' basic rate of pay at the time of departure.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Early release cost per annum  Estimated salary cost avoided( 1) 
			 2005-06 9.1 10.81 
			 2006-07 16.9 33.14 
			 2007-08 29.5 56.91 
			 2008-09 (2)38.6 75.5 
			 2009-10 (3)49.0 90.42 
			 (1) Based on notional cost of salaries avoided for those who have been released. (2) Projected costs, covering two major schemes. (3) Projected costs, covering two major schemes.

Departmental Training

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 5 November 2008,  Official Report, column 483W, on departmental training, what personal training courses at public expense other Ministers in his Department have undertaken since 1 January 2008.

John Hutton: Since 1 January 2008 a number of Ministers within the Department have undertaken pre-deployment training in preparation for visits to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Harmony Guidelines

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of personnel in each pinch point trade are exceeding their harmony guidelines for  (a) tour intervals and  (b) individual separated service in each service and trade type.

Bob Ainsworth: As I stated in my answer on 26 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1521W, information on tour intervals for pinch point trades is not routinely recorded. Data on separated service can not yet be provided for Army personnel until such time as a complete cycle has been recorded and subsequently validated (January 2010).
	I am, however, able to provide information on the degree to which Royal Navy and Royal Air Force personnel, who are in pinch point trades, breach the Single Service Harmony Guidelines and this is shown in the following table. Current individual harmony guidelines are:
	The Royal Navy guidelines determine that personnel spend, on average, 60 per cent. of their time deployed and 40 per cent. alongside in their home port during a three-year period. The maximum individual threshold (separated service) is 660 days away from their normal place of work in the same three year period.
	The Army guidelines determine that soldiers can be deployed for one six-month tour in every 30 months (six on, 24 off) and during that 30 month period a soldier should not expect to be away from his or her normal place of work for more than a total of 415 days.
	The Royal Air Force guidelines determine that personnel should not spend more than 280 days in every 24 months away from their normal place of duty.
	
		
			  Trade  Percentage breaching harmony 
			  Royal Navy operational pinch points  
			 Lieutenant Commander XSM Command Qualified (SMCQ) 1.0 
			 Lt XSM IWC Qualified and SQEP 1.7 
			 Principle Warfare Officers 0.3 
			 Joint Force Harrier—Harrier GR7 Instructors None 
			 Lieutenant GR7 Harrier Pilots None 
			 MCD/MWO Lts None 
			 Strategic Weapon System Junior Rates 1.8 
			 Merlin Aircrew (Pilots) None 
			 Merlin Aircrew (Observers) None 
			 Merlin Aircrew (Aircrewmen) none 
			 Leading Seaman General Service Warfare 1.9 
			 Able Rate 1 Divers None 
			 Lieutenant XSM Advanced Warfare Qualified 1.7 
			 Able Rate 1 (Seaman) 3.9 
			 Able Rate 1 Warfare Specialist 0.9 
			 Able Rate 1 Communications and Information Systems 0.6 
			 Leading Aircraft Controllers None 
			 Royal Marine Pte-Cpl 0.6 
			 Able Rate Warfare Specialist Sensor SM 0.2 
			 Sea King and Lynx Avionics Supervisors (LAET) None 
			 Cat A2 Nuclear Watch Keepers 1.9 
			 Cat B Nuclear Watch Keepers 2.5 
			 LLogs (CS)(Chef) 3.5 
			 Logs(CS)(Chef) 1.9 
			 LLogs (Pers) None 
			 Logs(Pers) None 
			 Leading Seaman Mine Warfare None 
			 Able Rate Warfare Specialist Tactical SM 1.8 
			   
			  Royal Air Force operational pinch points  
			 Pilot (Junior Officer) 6.2 
			 Flying Branch (Career Stream) (Senior Officer) Not available 
			 Operations Support (Intelligence) 7.3 
			 Operations Support (Regiment) 15.9 
			 Operations Support (Flight Operations) 8.3 
			 Medical 18.6 
			 Med Nursing Officer (formerly Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service) 10.3 
			 Weapons System Operator (Crewman) 3.2 
			 Weapons System Operator (Linguist) 15.7 
			 Mechanical Transport Technician 7.8 
			 Firefighter 9.3 
			 Gunner 18.4 
			 Air Traffic Controller (ATC) 2.9 
			 Flight Operations Manager (FOM)/Flight Operations Assistant (FOA) 4.1 
			 Logistics (Mover) (formerly Movements Operator/Controller) 7.4 
			   
			  Royal Air Force manning pinch points  
			 Weapon Systems Operator (Junior Officer) 5.3 
			 Operations Support (Aerospace Battle Manager) (Formerly Fighter Controller) 5.7 
			 Operations Support (Air Traffic Control) 7.4 
			 Personnel (Support) (Formerly Admin Sec) 9.9 
			 Personnel (Training) (Formerly Admin Training) 14.3 
			 Chaplains 10.8 
			 Dental 0.0 
			 Aircraft Technician (Mechanical) 2.8 
			 Aircraft Technician (Avionics) 3.5 
			 General Technician (Electrical) 2.9 
			 General Technician (Mechanical) 4.9 
			 Intelligence (Analyst) 2.8 
			 Survival Equipment Fitter 5.7 
			 Biomedical Scientist (Formerly Lab Tech) 0.0 
			 Dental Nurse 6.3 
			 Musician 2.6

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the briefing maps for Iraq on his Department's website to be next updated.

John Hutton: Of the two Iraq briefing maps on the Department's website, that showing Iraq's provinces and the last available population data remains current. The second map, showing Coalition forces' areas of responsibility has now been updated and placed on the website:
	http://www.operations.mod.uk/mapping/20090127-MNDBdys-U.jpg

Merlin Helicopters

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of Merlin helicopters have been fit for service in each year since 2003.

Quentin Davies: holding answer 2 February 2009
	 I will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Substantive answer from Quentin Davies to Willie  Rennie:
	I undertook to write to you in answer to your Parliamentary Question on 3 February ( Official Report, column 1116W), about percentages of Merlin helicopters 'Fit for Service'.
	The term 'Fit for Service' has been taken to mean the Effective Fleet, which covers all aircraft barring those which are redundant, declared as surplus or awaiting disposal. The information requested is set out in the table below:
	
		
			   Merlin Mk1  Merlin Mk3   
			   Departmental fleet number  Percentage of Departmental fleet 'fit for service''  Departmental fleet number  Percentage of Departmental fleet 'fit for service' 
			 2003-04 42 100 21 100 
			 2004-05 41 100 21 100 
			 2005-06 41 100 21 100 
			 2006-07 41 100 21 100 
			 2007-08 41 100 21 100 
		
	
	These figures do not include the six Merlin helicopters acquired from the Danish government as these aircraft were not introduced into service until financial year 2008-09, having been converted to UK standard as Mk3a.

Warships: Wrecks

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what discussions his Department has had with  (a) Odyssey Marine Exploration,  (b) English Heritage and  (c) Ministerial colleagues on the discovery of the wreck suspected to be that of HMS Victory; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to establish the identity of the wreck reported by Odyssey Marine Exploration suspected to be that of HMS Victory.

Bob Ainsworth: Following the notification by Odyssey Marine Exploration of the possible discovery of the wreck of HMS Victory, exploratory discussions have been held by MOD officials with the company. Discussions have also been held at official level with a number of other Government Departments with a potential interest.
	The wreck is potentially of significant historic interest and it is important to ensure that we are absolutely confident of the claims being made. English Heritage, who are the Government's advisers on heritage issues for England, have been invited to provide advice on the historical significance of the wreck and its likely identity, together with an assessment of the risks to its  in situ preservation which would be the Government's preferred approach in such cases.
	These considerations are likely to take some time.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

British Nationality: Torture

Malcolm Rifkind: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer of 17 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 680-81W, on British nationality: torture, what estimate he has made of the costs involved in the central collation of statistics relating to the allegations of ill treatment or torture made by British nationals.

Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has only collected statistics, relating to the allegations of ill treatment or torture made by British nationals, since 1 April 2005.
	The FCO has no estimate of the costs involved in collating this information pre-April 2005, as it would require searching through thousands of files on individual cases. To provide this would incur a disproportionate cost.

Cuba

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has met his Cuban counterpart; and whether he plans to visit Cuba to discuss UK-Cuban relations.

Gillian Merron: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has not met the current Cuban Foreign Minister. There are no current plans for him to visit Cuba.

Cyprus: Community Relations

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2009,  Official Report, column 365W, on Cyprus: community relations, when he last made representations to Turkey over meeting the award of the European Court of Human Rights in the Arestes case; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The issue was last discussed at senior official level at the start of January 2009 and at ministerial level during my visit to Turkey in December 2008.

Cyprus: Community Relations

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 378-80W, on UN Cyprus Committee on Missing Persons, when he expects to make a final decision as to whether to make further donations to the UN Cyprus Committee on Missing Persons; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The UK has donated £109,000 to the Committee of Missing Persons (CMP) over the past four years. In addition the UK leases the land on which the CMP laboratory is situated for a nominal £1 rent per year. The Government have no plans for further donations at present.

Cyprus: Community Relations

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2009,  Official Report, column 363W, on Cyprus: community relations; if he will make an estimate of the number of  (a) Turkish nationals (excluding the armed forces) and  (b) Turkish militia living in northern Cyprus; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: We have no means of independently estimating the number in either case.

Cyprus: Community Relations

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2009,  Official Report, column 362W, on Cyprus: community relations, if he will make an estimate of the  (a) number and  (b) ages of the enclaved Greek Cypriots living in Karpai; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: There are no Government estimates of the number and average age of anyone living in the Karpas peninsula. We have no means of independently estimating the number in either case.

Cyprus: Community Relations

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2009,  Official Report, column 361-2W, on Cyprus: community relations, if he will make representations to the Turkish Army in North Cyprus to permit Maronites to visit Agia Marina; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Government are aware of the difficulties faced by the Maronite community in Cyprus in accessing their villages of origin, including the villages of Agia Marina. Ultimately, these issues occur as a result of the political situation on the island, and will only be fully resolved by a comprehensive settlement to reunite the island. We will continue to engage with the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities and all other parties as necessary, including Turkey, to support progress towards a settlement.

Cyprus: Community Relations

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2009,  Official Report, column 362W, on Cyprus: community relations, when he last discussed the issue of the enclaved Greek Cypriots in the Karpas in the Committee of Ministers in the Council of Europe; what representations he made; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: My right hon. Friend has not discussed the problems faced by Greek Cypriots living in the Karpas in the Committee of Ministers. However Ministers' deputies regularly discuss issues arising out of the 2001 Cyprus  v. Turkey judgment of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), in their quarterly meetings supervising execution of ECHR judgments. These include property rights of the enclaved. The last such discussion was 2-4 December 2008.

Cyprus: Community Relations

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2009,  Official Report, column 369W, on Cyprus: press, how much the High Commission has spent on advertising in newspapers owned by Asil Nadir in northern Cyprus in each of the last three years.

Caroline Flint: For the period April 2007 to March 2008 the high commission spent GBP £1,315 advertising in Kibris and Cyprus Today which are both owned by Asil Nadir. The sum spent since April 2008 is GBP £1,075.20. The high commission advertises in these newspapers as they are the biggest selling papers in their market. A recent estimate showed Kibris accounting for 49 per cent. of newspaper sales in the north.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Peacekeeping Operations

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in securing additional  (a) personnel,  (b) resources and  (c) airlift capability for the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo since the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1843 on 20 November 2008; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The UN has accepted an official proposal from Bangladesh to provide one infantry battalion, one engineer company and one formed police unit, as well as a proposal from Belgium to provide a C-130 aircraft to the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC). In addition, five UN member states have agreed to send the required intelligence experts to MONUC.
	Further to this, a number of states have expressed interest in providing the second authorised infantry battalion, two special forces companies, and a second formed police unit. The UN is assessing these expressions of interest.
	We will continue to lobby current and potential troop contributing countries until additional personnel are found.

Departmental Correspondence

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's average response time to a letter received from  (a) an hon. Member and  (b) a member of the public was in each of the last three years.

Gillian Merron: Guidance for Government Departments handling correspondence from hon. Members is laid down by the Cabinet Office, which has set a target of 20 working days to reply to routine correspondence.
	Records do not indicate the average time taken to answer hon. Members' letters. I can confirm that of the 11,970 letters received from hon. Members in 2006, records indicate that 89 per cent. were answered within the 20 working days target; of the 9,790 letters received from hon. Members in 2007, records indicate that 92 per cent. were answered within the 20 working days target; and of the 10,334 letters received from hon. Members in 2008, records indicate that 87 per cent. were answered within the 20 working days target.
	Cabinet Office does not issue guidance for Government Departments answering letters from members of the public. Records of letters received from members of the public until late 2007 are not available and we are therefore unable to provide figures for either 2006 or 2007. However, of the 73,048 letters received from members of the public (including e-mails and campaign postcards), our records indicate that 62,671 were answered within 20 working days.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff in his Department were disciplined for  (a) bullying and  (b) harassment of colleagues in each of the last three years.

Gillian Merron: The information is as follows:
	In 2006, one member of staff was disciplined for bullying. None were disciplined for harassment.
	In 2007, one member of staff was disciplined for bullying, one was disciplined for harassment.
	In 2008, three members of staff were disciplined for combined bullying and harassment.
	These records cover reported disciplinaries of UK-based staff. There are no central records held for locally-engaged staff. This information would be held locally at post and could only be retrieved with disproportionate cost.

Departmental Freedom of Information

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  how many requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 his Department  (a) agreed to and  (b) refused (i) in 2006, (ii) in 2007 and (iii) between January and July 2008;
	(2)  what the average time was for his Department to respond to requests made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in the last 12 months.

Gillian Merron: The available statistical information regarding FOI requests received by Departments can be found on the Ministry of Justice website at
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/freedomofinformationquarterly.htm

Departmental Impact Assessments

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many equalities impact assessments his Department has undertaken in the last 12 month period for which figures are available; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of such assessments.

Gillian Merron: During 2008 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office undertook nine main equality impact assessments. An estimate of the cost of undertaking these assessments could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Manpower

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer of 9 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1656W, on departmental personnel, how many staff in  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies are (i) without posts and (ii) within the corporate pool; how many staff without posts were classified as such upon returning from maternity leave; and how many of the staff without posts were classified as such for at least (A) six and (B) 12 months.

Gillian Merron: On 22 December 2008 there were 226 members of staff in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) corporate pool. Of these, 166 were deployed in temporary jobs and 60 were either on training courses or were shortly to go on maternity leave, retire or take up a job. Four members of staff who had recently returned from maternity leave were either deployed in temporary jobs or on training courses. There were no members of staff able to work who were not deployed.
	There were 53 members of staff who had been in the corporate pool for more than six months and 25 who had been in the pool for twelve months.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisors

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what expert advisers have been commissioned by his Department and its agencies since 1997; on what topic each was commissioned; and whether the adviser so appointed made a declaration of political activity in each case.

Gillian Merron: The detailed information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) sponsors a number of advisory non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) which provide independent expert advice on a number of issues. Statistics concerning NDPBs that are sponsored by the FCO are on the FCO website:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-the-fco/what-we-do/building-strong-relationships-ol/stakeholder-groups/non-dept-public-bodies
	Appointments to NDPBs are governed by the principles set out in the Commissioner for Public Appointments' Code of Practice. Summary information is published in 'Public Bodies' which can be accessed online at:
	www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/public/bodies
	or copies are available in the Libraries of the House.
	In addition, the Government publish on an annual basis the names and numbers of special advisers in each pay band.

Detainees: Guantanamo Bay

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether one of the detainees rendered through Diego Garcia is still being held in the Guantanamo Bay detention centre.

Bill Rammell: Both of the individuals rendered through Diego Garcia in 2002 have been returned to their countries of nationality.

Diplomatic Service

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many serving Ambassadors and High Commissioners were born in  (a) Northern Ireland,  (b) Scotland,  (c) Wales and  (d) England.

Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not collect or hold in its central records details of the place of birth or region of origin of its staff. Their details would be available only at disproportionate cost.

Ethiopia: Eritrea

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the Answer of 20 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 96-7W, on Ethiopia: Eritrea, on how many occasions in the last 12 months  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department have raised the issue of the binding verdict of the International Ethiopian Eritrean Boundary Commission with the Ethiopian authorities.

Gillian Merron: UK Ministers have consistently said to the Ethiopian authorities that both parties should: avoid any return to war; demarcate the border; and normalise their relations. Ethiopia and Eritrea should agree a way forward to allow demarcation to proceed and for a normalisation process to begin, as set out in the Algiers Agreements of June and December 2000, to which both Ethiopia and Eritrea are signatories.
	In the last 12 months, we have raised this issue on four occasions at ministerial level.
	Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials also continually reiterate these messages with their Ethiopian counterparts in Addis Ababa, London and New York.

Ethiopia: Eritrea

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects Ethiopia to dismantle its settlements in Dembe Menga, western Eritrea in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1430 of August 2002.

Gillian Merron: We would expect representations regarding settlements believed to be on land awarded to the other party under the Ethiopia-Eritrea Border Commission decision to form part of any demarcation process and normalisation of relations.
	We will continue to communicate the UK's policy to both parties including through the United Nations.

Iraq: Elections

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the electoral process for the forthcoming provincial elections in Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The provincial elections on 31 January 2009 mark another milestone in Iraq's development as a democracy. Groups who boycotted the last provincial elections and who have turned against violence will participate this time around, and for the first time the Iraqi authorities have been completely responsible for planning and running a democratic election.
	The electorate are able to vote for individual candidates, rather than just political groupings, and as an acknowledgment of the important role both minorities and women play in Iraq, the election law provides quotas for both.
	The Independent High Electoral Commission, with the assistance of the UN, has been putting in place since the beginning of 2008 the mechanisms to ensure the elections are free and fair. These include voter information and education campaigns, the training of over 49,000 polling station staff, the accreditation of nearly 260,000 election observers and a robust complaints procedure which will allow the investigation of complaints before the final results are certified. In addition, through local non-governmental organisations and civil society, more than 2,000 electoral education activities each month have taken place in recent months.
	Further information on the electoral process can be found at:
	www.uniraq.org

Mass Media

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost of his Department's contracts with press monitoring services was in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: The monies spent by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on press monitoring services in each of the last five years are as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  £ 
			 2004-05 337,943.88 
			 2005-06 323,011.34 
			 2006-07 380,198.72 
			 2007-08 438,178.44 
			 2008-09 (1)362,042.00 
			 (1) Estimate

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions  (a) he , (b) Ministers in his Department,  (c) officials in his Department,  (d) the British Ambassador to Egypt and  (e) officials in the British Embassy in Egypt have had with the government of Egypt since December 2008 on the smuggling of (i) weapons and (ii) people into Gaza from Egypt via under-border tunnels; what reports he has received on the number of tunnels between Gaza and Egypt that have been (A) discovered and (B) closed; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We are extremely concerned with the smuggling of arms and people into Gaza. With the number of tunnels discovered changing on a regular basis we are unable to provide a definitive figure.
	We have been in close touch with the Egyptian authorities including my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister meeting President Mubarak at the Sharm summit and my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary speaking to his Egyptian counterpart. We will continue to work with the government of Egypt and our international partners on ways to help prevent smuggling.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the use of tunnels under the border of Egypt and Gaza by Bedouin smugglers to transfer arms to Hamas; what recent representations he has made to the government of Egypt about this issue; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We are extremely concerned with the smuggling of arms and people into Gaza including through tunnels under the border. We are currently working with the Government of Egypt and our international partners on ways to help prevent smuggling.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government has evidence that the government of Israel has used white phosphorus weapons in a way inconsistent with international law; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We are gravely concerned at the allegations into the misuse of white phosphorous. We expect, and urge, Israel, to investigate allegations of abuses by their forces. As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary said in his statement to Parliament on 19 January 2009,  Official Report, column 501,
	"allegations must be closely and speedily investigated".

Occupied Territories

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of the alleged suspicious deaths of four Palestinian journalists in Gaza.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 21 January 2009
	We have not received any reports specifically relating to the suspicious deaths of Palestinian journalists.

Official Cars

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what cars are  (a) owned,  (b) leased,  (c) hired and  (d) otherwise regularly used by his Department, broken down by cubic capacity of engine.

Gillian Merron: Information about the Foreign and Commonwealth Offices (FCO) overseas fleet of vehicles is not held centrally. To provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
	Details of FCO Services owned vehicles are set out in the table below. FCO Services does not lease or hire vehicles for the fleet, all vehicles detailed are 'owned'.
	I also refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Secretary of State for Transport (Mr. Hoon) on 26 January 2009,  Official Report, column 10W, about cars provided by the Government Car and Despatch Agency.
	
		
			  Vehicle make  Vehicle model  Vehicle Function  Engine cc  Euro Standard  CO 2  Emissions (g/km)  Fuel 
			 Ford Galaxy MPV 1.8 TDCI (1796cc) IV 166 Diesel 
			 Renault Rigid lorry HGV 10.8 (10837cc) V CEE EUR05 Diesel 
			 Renault Artic lorry HGV 4.5 (4500cc) V CEE EURO5 Diesel 
			 Renault Artic lorry HGV 4.5 (4500cc) V CEE EUR05 Diesel 
			 Renault Artic lorry HGV 11.0 (11116cc) IV 181 Diesel 
			 Ford Transit minibus PCV 2.4 TDI (2300cc) III 210 Diesel 
			 Ford Transit minibus PCV 2.4 TDI (2300cc) III 210 Diesel 
			 Ford Transit T350 LGV 2.4 TDI (2300cc) IV 215 Diesel 
			 Ford Minibus PCV 2.4 TDI (2300cc) III 210 Diesel 
			 Ford Transit jumbo LGV 2.4 TDI (2300cc) III 210 Diesel 
			 Ford Transit LGV 2.4 TDI (2300cc) IV 0.396 Diesel 
			 Ford Transit LGV 2.4 TDI (2300cc) IV 0.396 Diesel 
			 Renault Magnum HGV 11.9 (11929cc) V 169 Diesel 
			 Ford Galaxy Ghia TDI MPV 1.9 TDI (1998cc) III 178 Diesel 
			 Ford Galaxy Ghia TDI MPV 1.9 TDI (1998cc) III 178 Diesel 
			 Ford Transit 350 LWB LGV 2.4 TDI (2300cc) III 210 Diesel 
			 Ford Galaxy MPV 1.9 TDI (1998cc) III 178 Diesel 
			 Vauxhall Corsa van LGV 1.7 (1698cc) III 130 LPG/Dual 
			 Toyota Prius hybrid Hatchback 1.5 (1497cc) V 0.18 Hybrid 
			 Ford Transit LGV 2.4 TDI (2300cc) III 210 Diesel 
			 Ford Transit LGV 2.4 TDI (2300cc) III 210 Diesel 
			 Ford Transit LGV 2.3TDI (2200cc) III 210 Diesel 
			 Vauxhall Omega saloon Saloon 2.0 (1998cc) IV 248 Petrol 
			 Ford Galaxy MPV 2.0 (1998cc) IV  Diesel 
			 Ford Galaxy MPV 2.0 (1998cc) IV  Diesel 
			 Vauxhall Omega saloon Saloon 2.2 (2090cc) IV 233 LPG/Dual 
			 Vauxhall Signum Hatchback 1.9 (1938cc) IV 189 Diesel 
			 Rover 75 75 Vanden Plas Saloon 2.5 (2400cc) III 225 LPG/Dual 
			 Ford Galaxy MPV 1.9 TDI (1998cc) Hi 178 Diesel 
			 Ford Galaxy MPV 1.9 TDI (1998cc) III 178 Diesel 
			 Vauxhall Astra van LGV 1.3 (1248cc) IV 131 Diesel 
			 Vauxhall Astra van LGV 1.3 (1248cc) IV 132 Diesel 
			 Vauxhall Corsa combi LGV 1.7 (1698cc) III 130 Diesel 
			 Vauxhall Astra estate Estate 1.6 (1598cc) IV 151 LPG/Dual 
			 Vauxhall Astra estate Estate 1.6 (1598cc) IV 151 LPG/Dual 
			 Vauxhall Corsa van LGV 1.3 (1298cc) V 132 Diesel 
			 Ford Connect LGV 1.8 TDCI (1796cc) IV 171 Diesel 
			 Ford Transit LGV 2.4TDI (2300cc) III 210 Diesel

Palestinians: Human Rights

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the Government's responsibilities under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1674 regarding the protection of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Territories from war crimes.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 26 January 2009
	We are gravely concerned at the allegations made, during the Gaza conflict, by such credible organisations as the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN. We have been clear that such allegations must be investigated. We expect, and urge, Israel, to investigate allegations of abuses by their forces.

Somalia: Peacekeeping Operations

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what funding his Department is providing to the AU missions in Somalia; and what assessment he has made of the likelihood of peace in that country.

Gillian Merron: Since the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) was mandated in February 2007, we have committed around £17.3 million in support of the mission. This has included support for Ugandan and Burundian troop sustainment (fuel, food, rotation costs, airlift), assistance with Burundian troop allowances and supplies to the Ugandan battalions (trucks, vehicle spares etc).
	The UK also contributes to the EU's African Peace Facility, which has provided funds of €19.7 million to AMISOM between March 2007 and December 2008. A further €20 million will be provided in 2009.
	The security situation in Somalia will only improve if there is a political resolution to the conflict there. We continue to work with Somali and international partners to build political stability, including working closely with the United Nations Special Representative to the Secretary General for Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, and the UN Political Office for Somalia. We welcome the decision of the Transitional Federal Government and the opposition Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia in November 2008 to form a unity government and to continue work on justice and reconciliation issues. We fully support the Djibouti peace process and hope it will deliver a long-term solution for peace and stability in Somalia.

Somalia: Piracy

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government has taken to prevent piracy  (a) in Somalian territorial waters and  (b) on the high seas off Somalia; and what assessment he has made of levels of piracy activity in those areas in each of the last three years.

Caroline Flint: The UK has taken a comprehensive approach to the problem of piracy off the coast of Somalia.
	The Royal Navy is combating acts of piracy on the high seas off Somalia, and acts of armed robbery in Somali Territorial Waters. We are providing the Operation Headquarters and Operation Commander for the EU's operation (Atalanta) to protect World Food programme shipping and to deter piracy. We are providing a frigate for the first phase of the operation and we contributed to a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation counter piracy mission in 2008. We have a leading role in the planning and execution of military counter-piracy operations through the Combined Maritime Forces in the region. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary negotiated a new UN Security Council Resolution (1851) further consolidating the international commitment to deal effectively with piracy. The UK is a member of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia which met for the first time in New York on 14 January 2009, and we will host the Working Group tasked to encourage greater international co-ordination and co-operation. In addition we continue to work closely with the shipping industry, advising on best practice for counter piracy self defence.
	Ultimately piracy is a symptom of wider issues. We continue our efforts to address these, and are encouraging the European Commission and other partners to increase targeted support for governance/economic development in Somalia, in particular in coastal areas. In 2007-08, the UK provided over £25 million of humanitarian and development assistance to Somalia. For 2008-09, this was increased to £30 million.
	Although there has been a significant increase in the number of successful pirate attacks in the last three years (10 in 2006, 35 in 2007, 43 in 2008 and three so far in 2009), piracy off the Somali coast continues to affect a very small proportion of the shipping that transits the area. Since Operation Atalanta established the Maritime Security Centre for the Horn of Africa in December 2008 no vessel registered with it has been successfully pirated.

Sudan: Peacekeeping Operations

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received reports on the progress made by the Southern Sudan Peace and Reconciliation Commission on implementing its mandate to  (a) oversee the Comprehensive Peace Agreement implementation,  (b) facilitate South-to-South dialogue and  (c) facilitate people-to-people contact.

Gillian Merron: The Southern Sudan Peace Commission (SSPC) has not yet made significant progress in implementing its mandate. It lacks the capacity to execute its recently completed strategic plan and requires assistance in building the analytical, influencing and coordinating skills required to deliver against its mandate.
	We are seeking ways to engage with and support the SSPC, as this will be essential to ensure the legitimacy and sustainability of peace-building efforts in the south. The UK is engaged with other partners, both Sudanese and international, in a range of peace building initiatives in Southern Sudan.

Turkey

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has had discussions with his Turkish counterpart on recent events in Gaza.

Caroline Flint: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had regular discussions with Turkish Foreign Minister Babacan on a range of global issues including Gaza.
	Since Turkey became a non permanent member of the United Nations Security Council in January 2009, we expect to work even more closely together this year on issues of regional stability, given their important regional role.

UN World Conference against Racism

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what policy his Department has adopted on the latest draft resolution for the UN Durban 2 anti-racism conference; if he will withdraw the UK from the conference; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Government remain deeply concerned about the draft outcome document. We have made this clear in our statements at various meetings in the Durban review process.
	The United Kingdom delegation was active in the recent negotiations on the draft outcome document for the Durban Review Conference. The negotiations were not concluded at the recent inter-sessional working group, held in Geneva from 19-23 January 2009.
	We are assessing progress, taking into account the recently issued draft document issued on 28 January 2009, and will continue to review it against the objectives we have set for the Conference.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2009,  Official Report, column 381W, on western Sahara, if he will make representations to the new Moroccan ambassador to the UK urging an end to Morocco's continued occupation of western Sahara.

Bill Rammell: The new Moroccan ambassador to the UK has not yet arrived in London. Nevertheless the Government continue to encourage all parties to the ongoing dispute to enter into the UN-led negotiation process in a spirit of realism and compromise and work towards a mutually acceptable political solution that will provide for the self-determination of the people of western Sahara, as called for by the UN Security Council.

Written Questions: Government Responses

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to answer Question 247757 about the seminar on stem cell research, tabled on 12 January 2009; what the reason is for the time taken to reply; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 9 February 2009
	The question was answered on 4 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1205W. The delay in answering was due to administrative error.

Written Questions: Government Responses

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to answer Question 242696 about terrorism in Israel, tabled on 8 December 2008; what the reason is for the time taken to reply; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 9 February 2009
	This question will be answered shortly. The delay has been caused by an administrative error.

Zimbabwe: Politics and Government

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the most recent power-sharing agreement between Zanu-PF and the Movement for Democratic Change on the political situation in Zimbabwe.

Gillian Merron: On 30 January, the Movement for Democratic Change announced the acceptance of the power sharing accord brokered at the Southern African Development Community summit on 26 January. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary issued a statement in response on 30 January, which can be viewed at:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/newsroom/latest-news/? view=News&id=13022532
	We are cautious about the workability of the agreement. But we have also been clear that it is up to Zimbabweans to decide their own future. Our hope is that the parties can make it work and we will judge the new government on its actions. In common with other members of the international community, we will be looking for the government to demonstrate, through its actions, a commitment to reform. We would expect in the coming weeks to see the release of political prisoners, an immediate end to political violence and intimidation, the repeal of repressive legislation, the appointment of a credible finance team and a clear roadmap to the next national elections. Our formal engagement, including the provision of donor support, will depend on how the new government meets these expectations.

Zimbabwe: Sanctions

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government have imposed sanctions against  (a) companies and  (b) individuals in Zimbabwe for breaching their international responsibilities.

Gillian Merron: We (and all EU member states) are signed up to a set of targeted measures against members of Robert Mugabe's regime—asset freezes, travel bans and an arms embargo. The measures are carefully targeted against individuals involved in violence and human rights abuses, and state-owned and other companies that are associated with the regime. EU Foreign Ministers last met on 26 January 2009 and agreed to a rollover of existing targeted measures and added a further 65 names and entities to the list. The current range of EU targeted measures now comprises 203 individuals and 40 entities.

TRANSPORT

A1: Death

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many road fatalities there have been on the A1 in  (a) Tyne and Wear and  (b) Northumberland in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many road accidents there have been on the A1 in  (a) Tyne and Wear and  (b) Northumberland in each of the last 10 years.

Paul Clark: The following table contains details of the number of road accidents and fatalities on the A1 in Tyne and Wear and Northumberland for each of the last 10 years.
	Accident figures are from Department for Transport Stats 19 data, which records accidents resulting in personal injury that become known to the police within 30 days.
	The latest year for which validated data are available is 2007.
	
		
			   Northumberland  Tyne and Wear 
			   Accidents on A1  Fatalities on A1  Accidents on A1  Fatalities on A1 
			 1998 80 7 95 2 
			 1999 64 7 109 2 
			 2000 69 4 114 2 
			 2001 53 1 104 0 
			 2002 77 4 111 2 
			 2003 67 3 106 1 
			 2004 54 5 91 1 
			 2005 64 2 111 0 
			 2006 62 4 118 2 
			 2007 47 5 89 1

A419

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the merits of including funding for the resurfacing of the A419 between Cirencester and Swindon in the funding programme to succeed the Ten Year Plan for Transport.

Paul Clark: The A419 is managed on behalf of the Highways Agency by Road Management Services (Gloucester) Limited under a private finance concession. Resurfacing is carried out where there is a maintenance or safety need according to agency standards. Currently, the surface of this section of the A419 is in good condition and is not likely to require resurfacing for the foreseeable future.

Departmental Buildings

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library a copy of the  (a) display energy certificates and  (b) advisory reports for public buildings issued in respect of each property occupied by (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies.

Geoff Hoon: The Department for Transport will place in the Library a copy of the display energy certificates and their associated advisory reports in respect of each qualifying property occupied by the Department and its agencies.

Departmental Consultants

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many expert advisers, excluding special advisers, have been commissioned by his Department since June 2007; and on which topics they have advised.

Geoff Hoon: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff in his Department were disciplined for  (a) bullying and  (b) harassment of colleagues in each of the last three years.

Geoff Hoon: 10 members of staff in the Department for Transport and its agencies have been disciplined for bullying and/or harassment in the last three years.

Departmental ICT

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the  (a) original expected cost,  (b) original expected delivery date,  (c) actual cost incurred and  (d) actual delivery date was of each ICT project undertaken and completed by his Department and its predecessors in each year since 1997; who the contractors for each project were; what the (i) initial estimated and (ii) outturn payment to each contractor was; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The Department for Transport does not hold centrally records on ICT projects, which are managed locally, but a table has been placed in the Libraries of the House, showing the available information on major projects completed since the Department was formed in 2002.

Departmental Lobbying

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether Ministers in his Department received representations from  (a) Lord Moonie,  (b) Lord Taylor of Blackburn,  (c) Lord Snape and  (d) Lord Truscott in the last seven months.

Geoff Hoon: The Department for Transport received one parliamentary question from Lord Snape in October 2008, but no representations.

Departmental Pay

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of members of the Senior Civil Service in his Department received a bonus in  (a) 2006,  (b) 2007 and  (c) 2008.

Geoff Hoon: holding answer 29 January 2009
	 The percentage of the senior civil service (SCS) structure in the Department for Transport who received non-consolidated performance pay in  (a) 2006,  (b) 2007 and  (c) 2008 is set out in the following table:
	
		
			   Percentage of SCS receiving non-consolidated performance pay  Non-consolidated performance pay as percentage of SCS pay  bill 
			 2006 81.1 7.29 
			 2007 78.8 8.42 
			 2008 75.0 8.44

Departmental Pay

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff in his Department and its agencies  (a) earned more than (i) £65,000, (ii) £120,000 and (iii) £190,000 in the last 12 months and  (b) received a bonus payment in each of the last five years.

Geoff Hoon: The number of staff the Department for Transport and its agencies who earned more than (i) £65,000, (ii) £120,000 and (iii) £190,000 in the last 12 months is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of staff 
			 Earning more than £65,000 315 
			 Earning more than £120,000 23 
			 Earning more than £190,000 0 
		
	
	The number of staff in each category is based on annual salary as at the 2008 pay award. Earnings data in the last 12 months can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The number of staff who received a bonus payment in each of the last five years is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   N umber  of staff 
			 2003-04 4,814 
			 2004-05 6,537 
			 2005-06 13,682 
			 2006-07 14,895 
			 2007-08 13,442 
		
	
	The numbers do not include bonuses for:
	Senior Civil Servants (SCS) in 2003-04 which is not available;
	SCS on fixed term contracts in 2004-05 which is not available;
	Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency for 2003-04 and 2004-05 which could be provided only at disproportionate cost;
	Vehicle and Operator Services Agency for 2007-08 which is not yet available.

Departmental Public Appointments

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which of the public appointments for which his Department is responsible are due to be  (a) renewed and  (b) filled in the next 24 months; what the (i) remit, (ii) salary, (iii) political restriction, (iv) eligibility requirement and (v) timetable for each appointment is; and what records his Department keeps in respect of such appointments.

Geoff Hoon: Information on appointments made by the Department for Transport is published in the Department's annual report. More detailed information about individual appointments is set out in the relevant body's annual report. Vacancies may be advertised on the Cabinet Office Public Appointments website at:
	www.publicappointments.gov.uk.
	The process for making a public appointment, including guidance on political activity and eligibility criteria, follows the Cabinet Office publication "Making and Managing Public Appointments". For appointments regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments, the appointments process also complies with the "Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies". Copies are in the Libraries of the House.

Departmental Redundancy

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the answer of 26 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1571W, on redundancy, what estimate has he made of the annual payroll savings resulting from staff exit schemes in  (a) 2005-06,  (b) 2006-07,  (c) 2007-08 and  (d) 2008-09 excluding the cost of severance packages; and what estimate he has made of the equivalent figures for 2009-10.

Geoff Hoon: The information requested for  (a) 2005-06,  (b) 2006-07,  (c) 2007-08 and  (d) 2008-09 can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	No staff exit schemes are currently planned for 2009-10.

Departmental Standards

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to standardise annual performance appraisals in his Department and its agencies.

Geoff Hoon: It is important that the central Department for Transport and its agencies continue to have flexibility to develop and implement performance management arrangements that meet their particular business needs.

Dredging: Thames Estuary

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the likely effect of dredging proposals in the Thames Estuary by Peel Ports Medway (Port of Sheerness Ltd) on commercial fishing operations.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 10 February 2009
	An assessment will be undertaken if and when the Port submit an application for approval by way of a harbour revision order.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Personal Records

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what data are  (a) transferred to ANPR International and  (b) sold by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency; and whether individuals may prevent the (i) transfer and (ii) sale of data relating to them.

Jim Fitzpatrick: ANPR International is part of the Excel Group. The following data are transferred to Excel Parking Services via an electronic link in response to individual inquiries for individual records where the criteria for disclosure is met.
	Name and address of vehicle keeper
	Make
	Model
	Colour
	Engine capacity
	Taxable weight
	Seating capacity
	Tax class
	Date of expiry of last licence issued.
	It should be noted that an electronic link is a means of requesting and receiving information: it is not direct access into the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's (DVLA) vehicle register. Contracts with private companies set out the exact conditions under which a company may apply for vehicle keeper data.
	DVLA does not 'sell' personal information. Regulations allow DVLA to charge a fee for information released under 'reasonable cause' provisions, but do not allow a profit to be made. The fee, currently £2.50, is levied to cover the cost of dealing with requests. This means the applicant and not the taxpayer covers the associated administrative costs.
	The law does allow DVLA to sell vehicle data that do not include any information that can identify a specific individual. The following non-personal information is sold to commercial companies under contract:
	Anonymised data: These consist of vehicle identifying information e.g. make, mode, colour: They do not however contain the vehicle registration mark or the name and address of the vehicle keeper. These data are used for marketing and statistical purposes.
	Bulk data: These are supplied to companies who provide a service to the public and dealerships when the purchase of a vehicle is being considered. Information contains the vehicle registration number and other specifics of the vehicle, but no personal details that would reveal the identity of the vehicle keeper. These data are used to provide vehicle checking services to members of the public/dealers looking to confirm the identity of a vehicle offered for sale.
	Information is disclosed where the recipient has demonstrated reasonable cause for receiving those data, and where DVLA considers it both fair and reasonable to make that disclosure.
	Individuals have a responsibility to follow road traffic and other rules or regulations when using their vehicle. If individuals were able to opt out of having their data disclosed, they would be able to avoid any sanction or responsibility for any damage or loss caused as a result of that use.

First Capital Connect: Standards

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many peak-time First Capital Connect train services ran to timetable on the Brighton to Bedford line in each year since 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: The following number of peak-time First Capital Connect services on the Bedford to Brighton route which arrived on time at their destination in each year between 2005 and 2008 is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2005 17,895 
			 2006 17,758 
			 2007 17,931 
			 2008 18,998

First Capital Connect: Standards

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many peak-time First Capital Connect train services on the Brighton to Bedford line were cancelled in each year since 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: The following number of peak-time First Capital Connect services on the Bedford to Brighton route which were cancelled in each year between 2005 and 2008 is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2005 544 
			 2006 457 
			 2007 412 
			 2008 344

First Capital Connect: Standards

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many peak-time First Capital Connect train services on the Bedford to Brighton line ran more than three minutes behind timetable in each year since 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: First Capital Connect services are not measured within three minutes of their timetable arrival time for Public Performance Measure (PPM) purposes. For a First Capital Connect service to meet the Public Performance Measure, it must either arrive at its destination early, right time or within four minutes 59 seconds of its timetabled arrival time.
	First Capital Connect peak-time services on the Bedford-Brighton line that arrived more than four minutes 59 seconds behind timetable were:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2005 4,166 
			 2006 4,072 
			 2007 3,908 
			 2008 2,731

Highways Agency: Pay

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether  (a) he,  (b) Ministers in his Department and  (c) senior managers in his Department (i) gave permission to the Highways Agency to offer and (ii) were informed by the Highways Agency of its intention to offer more favourable terms to its staff at grades 6 and 7 if they opted out of collective bargaining arrangements.

Geoff Hoon: The Department for Transport was aware that the Highways Agency reward strategy involved changes for Grades 6 and 7. I understand the option for individuals to sign up to new contractual terms was fully discussed with the trade unions. This does not preclude future collective bargaining. It is important that the Highways Agency continues to have flexibility to develop its rewards strategy to meet its particular business needs.

Maritime and Coastguard Agency: South West

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the letter of 30 January 2009 from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State to the hon. Member for Totnes, when he plans to complete his evaluation of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's review in relation to the southern part of the south west peninsula.

Jim Fitzpatrick: As I said in my letter of 30 January, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency hope to conclude their discussions with the UK SAR Strategic Committee and its Operators Group by the end of February and will then report back to me. The consultation exercise will commence soon after that.

Motorways: North Yorkshire

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to undertake motorway widening in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency.

Paul Clark: There are no motorways in the Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency, and there are no plans for them in this area.
	In the Tees Valley area, there have been three major new local authority roads built or under construction in the last four years:
	South Stockton Link (completed 2005);
	Darlington Eastern Transport Corridor (completed 2008);
	North Middlesbrough Accessibility Improvements (under construction).
	In addition we are currently considering a major scheme business case for a series of bus corridor improvements throughout the Tees Valley to improve reliability and journey times on public transport.
	Access to the wider region has been improved following the completion of dual carriageways improvements to the A66 west of Scotch Corner, and will be improved further, upon completion of the upgrade to motorway standard, of the A1 between Dishforth and Leeming, which has just begun.

Railways: Electrification

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with Network Rail on electrifying the main line between Paddington and Plymouth.

Paul Clark: A cross-industry working group led by Network Rail, and in which the Department for Transport participates, is assessing the case for electrifying a wide range of lines. The group is expected to publish its conclusions at the end of March.

Railways: Franchises

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether any rail franchises have been  (a) red lighted and  (b) put on a watch list by his Department; and what criteria his Department applies in deciding whether to red light a franchise.

Paul Clark: holding answer  10 February 2009
	The Department for Transport reviews and analyses the operational and financial performance of train operating companies on a regular basis. This is part of its routine monitoring of the contractual arrangements between the Department and its franchise holders. That internal analysis is commercially sensitive and cannot be released.

Railways: South Wales and Cornwall

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make commission an assessment of the potential for high-speed rail links between  (a) London and South Wales and  (b) London and Cornwall.

Paul Clark: The 2007 Rail White Paper noted that a long-term strategy for the railway should look at the options for further increases in capacity where necessary.
	There are a limited number of future capacity interventions that will accommodate predicted growth. The new company, "High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd.", will, as a first stage, bring forward proposals for Britain's second new high speed line, between London and the West Midlands, and consider the potential for new lines to serve the North of England and Scotland.

Rescue Services

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what forms the Maritime and Coastguard Agency require to be completed by lifeboat rescue teams before lifeboats can be launched; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: None. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) does not operate lifeboats or require the completion of forms by those organisations that do.

Rescue Services: Hope Cove

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency of operating the Hope Cove lifeboat service was in the latest year for which figures are available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The cost to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency of operating the general purpose boat at Hope Cove was £648 in 2007 and £1390 in 2008.

Roads: Snow and Ice

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimate he has made of the adequacy of supplies of salt and grit for use on the non-trunk road network; and what steps he plans to take to ensure that supplies are adequate.

Paul Clark: holding answer 9 February 2009
	 : The Government are working with local authorities and the Highways Agency to minimise the risk to public safety during this period of exceptional weather. We are collating information on current stocks in order to ensure effective distribution of available salt supplies and prioritise deliveries to those authorities most in need.

Transport: Snow and Ice

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what  (a) studies and  (b) modelling his Department has undertaken into the impact of extreme weather on the transport infrastructure.

Geoff Hoon: Specific modelling of the impacts of extreme weather scenarios across the transport network is carried out by the transport owners and operators such as Network Rail and Local Highways Authorities. DfT contributes guidance and support wherever possible through, for example, publications such as 'Maintaining Pavements: A Changing Climate' and 'Sustainable Roads' and the Highways Agency's strategy for the strategic road network.
	The Highway's Agency has devised a strategy for adapting the strategic road network to a changing climate. The Highways Agency also has a 'severe weather group' which delivers an annual programme of areas for improvement and research including the implementation of the National Severe Weather Warning System
	A DfT study on 'the changing climate: its impact on the Department for Transport' identified potential impacts on the transport system from extreme weather events. Further details are available from the Department's website at:
	www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/scienceresearch/key/thechangingclimateitsimpacto1909

Wrexham-Bidston Railway Line

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether Network Rail has submitted to his Department an estimate for the  (a) electrification and  (b) upgrade of the Bidston to Wrexham line.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport is aware of the two independent cost estimates to electrify the Bidston to Wrexham line undertaken for Merseytravel and other stakeholders in 2005, and the more detailed estimate including provision of three new stations produced by Network Rail in 2008. However, this is primarily a matter for Merseytravel and the Welsh Assembly Government as co-funders of the recent Network Rail investigation.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Bloody Sunday Tribunal of Inquiry

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his most recent estimate is of the final cost of the Saville Inquiry.

Shaun Woodward: The inquiry's most recent estimate of the final cost is £190 million. This incorporates a reduction of approximately 20 per cent. of the inquiry's remaining budget, due to a number of additional measures which have been agreed with the inquiry to minimise the remaining costs.

Consultative Group on the Past

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost to his Department was of the Report of the Consultative Group on the Past.

Shaun Woodward: The total cost of the work of the Consultative Group on the Past is expected to be £1,251,055.
	The group was established on 22 June 2007 and the group's report was launched on 28 January 2009. The total costs of the group's work can be broken down as follows:
	
		
			  Cost type  Amount (£) 
			 Remuneration (on a per diem basis) for the eight Group Members 548,440 
			 Remuneration (on a per diem basis) for the two International Advisers and one Legal Adviser 60,157 
			 Salary costs of the Secretariat—five members of staff 256,882 
			 All other non-staff costs including—office facilities, equipment, printing and launch of the report, cost of public meetings 385,576

Departmental Pensions

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps his Department is taking to advise staff of pension options available to them in relation to added years or additional voluntary contributions.

Paul Goggins: New entrants to the Civil Service are provided with a new entrant pension starter pack; this explains that new entrants have the option of requesting information on increasing their pension benefits.
	The pensions websites provides both new and current members with specific downloadable leaflets on added pension (added pension replaced added years provisions on 1 March 2008) and the Civil Service additional voluntary contributions scheme.
	In the event of changes to, or the introduction of new provisions to increase pension benefits, notification is issued via office notices which are provided to Personnel Departments to distribute to all staff.

Economic Situation

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions his Department has had with outside organisations to discuss policy on reducing the effect of the recession on matters within his Department's responsibility.

Shaun Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office regularly engages with outside organisations, including relevant Departments in Whitehall and Northern Ireland, on a range of issues relating to the economy.

Explosives

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were convicted of explosive-related crimes in Northern Ireland in the last 12 months.

Paul Goggins: In 2006 (the latest year for which data are available), six persons were convicted of explosive-related crimes in Northern Ireland.
	Data are collated on the principal offence rule; so only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included.

Firearms: Crime

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were convicted of gun-related crimes in Northern Ireland in the last 12 months.

Paul Goggins: The information is not available in the format requested. Court conviction data do not contain background information in relation to offences committed so it is not possible to separately identify the number of convictions for offences such as murder in which a gun was involved. It is only possible to provide conviction statistics for those offences which, in their definition, refer to gun-related offences as specified by firearms legislation.
	In 2006 (the latest year for which data are available), there were 56 such convictions.
	Data are collated on the principal offence rule; so only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included.

Graffiti

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were convicted of crimes relating to graffiti in Northern Ireland in the last 12 months.

Paul Goggins: At present, there are no crimes that relate specifically to graffiti in Northern Ireland. Offences involving graffiti are normally charged under criminal damage, but court databases do not allow us to disaggregate the number of criminal damage offences that involved graffiti.

Theft

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many incidents of burglary from  (a) domestic and  (b) commercial premises were recorded in each district command unit area in Northern Ireland in each of the last 12 months.

Paul Goggins: That is an operational matter for the Chief Constable. I have asked him to reply directly to the hon. member, and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Carbon Emissions

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what policies his Department has to achieve carbon dioxide emissions reductions in the agricultural sector.

Jane Kennedy: The Government are currently developing a policy framework to reduce all greenhouse gases (GHG) including carbon dioxide from the agriculture, forestry and land management sectors.
	This work will feed into the Government's response to recommendations made in the Committee on Climate Change's inaugural report.

Agriculture: EU Law

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will hold discussions with his EU counterparts on the consistent application of EU legislation on agriculture across all member states.

Jane Kennedy: The Secretary of State and other DEFRA Ministers hold regular discussions with our EU counterparts and the Commission on a wide range of subjects, including the application of agricultural legislation across the Community.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent steps the Government has taken to ensure that producers of agricultural goods receive a fair price for their goods.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 3 February 2009
	Government believe that the setting of the price of agricultural goods is a commercial matter to be resolved by private negotiation, which should take place within the parameters set by competition law. The market must determine prices.
	The Government are monitoring the effects of the current economic climate on food supply chain businesses in the UK to assess whether price reductions are passed down to consumers, with farmers also receiving fair prices, and will continue to bring public pressure to bear where appropriate. The Government have also urged large companies in the food supply chain to pay their suppliers promptly.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 27 January 2009,  Official Report, column 316W, on agriculture: subsidies, how much was given to each of the 10 claimants.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 5 February 2009
	The following table lists the 10 individuals and/or organisations that received the highest subsidies available under all schemes under the common agricultural policy for the European financial year 2008, which runs from 16 October 2007 to 15 October 2008.
	
		
			  Individual/organisations 
			  £ 
			 K G Growers 3,170,052.01 
			 G's Growers 2,908,857.66 
			 Farmcare Limited 2,641,415.83 
			 The Berryworld Producer Organisation 1,943,996,51 
			 Strutt and Parker Limited 1,493,340.64 
			 The National Trust 1,348,898.74 
			 Sir Richard Suttons Settles Estate 1,264,889.52 
			 Lilburn Estates Farming Partnership 1,215,740.15 
			 Blankley Estates Ltd 1,189,030.63 
			 Fruition Producer Organisation Limited 1,186,619.38

Agriculture: Subsidies

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many claims were made for investment aid for young farmers under the Rural Development Fund in each of the last three years;
	(2)  what funding was allocated for young farmers under the Rural Development Fund in each of the last three years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The measure which provides for support for setting up of young farmers is not being implemented in the Rural Development Programme for England.
	Rural development funding is a devolved issue. Questions about the Scotland Rural Development Programme should be directed to the Scottish Government.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 27 January 2009,  Official Report, column 316W, on agriculture: subsidies, under which common agricultural policy schemes payments were made to each listed recipient.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 9 February 2009
	The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Claimant  Scheme 
			 KG Growers Ltd. Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme 
			 G's Growers Ltd. Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme 
			 Farmcare Ltd. Single Payment Scheme, Countryside Stewardship Scheme, Environmental Stewardship Scheme 
			 The Berryworld Producer Organisation Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme 
			 Strutt and Parker (Farms) Ltd. Single Payment Scheme, Environmental Stewardship Scheme 
			 The National Trust Single Payment Scheme, Environmental Stewardship Scheme, Countryside Stewardship Scheme, Habitat, Environmentally Sensitive Areas 
			 Sir Richard Suttons Settles Estates Single Payment Scheme, Environmental Stewardship Scheme, Countryside Stewardship Scheme 
			 Lilburn Estates Farming Partnership Single Payment Scheme, Hill Farming Allowance, Environmental Stewardship Scheme, Countryside Stewardship Scheme 
			 Blankney Estates Ltd Single Payment Scheme, Environmental Stewardship Scheme, Countryside Stewardship Scheme 
			 Fruition Producer Organisation Ltd. Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme

Agriculture: Subsidies

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what expenditure is funded under EU budget line 05 02 08 11, Aid to Producer Groups for Preliminary Recognition; and which UK bodies have been granted an award under this budget line from the 2008 budget.

Jane Kennedy: Funding, which is co-financed by the member state, is available to Producer Groups in order to encourage greater co-operation in the fresh fruit and vegetables sector and to help such groups to attain, during a transitional period, the full recognition criteria for the Producer Organisation scheme which attracts a higher level of funding. Aid is given to Producer Groups to help facilitate their administrative operations and for capital investments such as shared harvesting equipment or storage/packing facilities.
	No UK bodies have been granted aid under this budget line in 2008 as the scheme is only applicable to Producer Groups in the member states which acceded the European Union on or after 1 May 2004.

Agriculture: Subsidies

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which UK  (a) projects and  (b) programmes have been funded under EU budget line 05 02 04 01, Programmes for Deprived Persons in 2008; what percentage of each programme's funding was funded from the EU budget; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The UK has not participated in the EU Programme for Deprived Persons (Food for the Needy Scheme) since 1998. The UK Government decided collectively to cease their participation in the scheme because of the generally low levels of intervention stocks and because there was a lack of interest in the scheme, primarily due to the bureaucratic procedures that apply in order to reduce the risk of fraud. In short, the Government concluded that the Scheme did not represent good value for money.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the effects of bovine tuberculosis on  (a) income and  (b) employment in the farming sector; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: No specific estimates of the effects of bovine Tuberculosis (bTB) on income and employment in the farming sector have been made. However, the impact of bTB on the farming sector is of concern to the Government and DEFRA has funded a project to investigate the longer-term effects of a bTB breakdown on farm businesses. This work includes looking at income and employment. The final report will be published on the DEFRA website once peer review is complete.
	 Source:
	Bennett, RM and Cooke, RJ (2006). Costs to farmers of a tuberculosis breakdown. Veterinary record 158:429-432.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of cases of bovine tuberculosis in the South West.

Jane Kennedy: We have in place a range of cattle measures to reduce the spread and incidence of disease, not just in the south-west but across the whole country.
	DEFRA's testing and slaughter policy has been in place for a number of years and significant steps have been taken to supplement this including: introduction of a zero tolerance regime for overdue tests; changes to the compensation system; pre-movement tests for cattle moving from high risk herds; and the extension of the use of the gamma interferon test; as well as encouraging good husbandry practice.
	We are also actively pursuing the future use of vaccination of cattle and wildlife as a means of tackling bovine TB, alongside our current control measures.
	We recognise that bovine tuberculosis is a serious disease and we are committed to tackling this.

Departmental Foreign Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) EU foreign nationals and (b) non-EU foreign nationals are employed by his Department.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Although information on the nationality of candidates is collected as part of the recruitment process, the nationality of members of staff is not held electronically and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Manpower

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people his Department employs.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Each quarter the Office for National Statistics provides information on the number of people employed by Government Departments. The latest published Quarterly Public Sector Employment Survey statistics are for 30 September 2008, and are available at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_labour/Table6AllDepts.xls
	The statistics for DEFRA predate the creation of DECC on 3 October 2008, when approximately 340 people transferred out of the Department.

Departmental Public Appointments

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which of the public appointments for which his Department is responsible are due to be  (a) renewed and  (b) filled in the next 24 months; what the (i) remit, (ii) salary, (iii) political restriction, (iv) eligibility requirement and (v) timetable for each appointment is; and what records his Department keeps in respect of such appointments.

Huw Irranca-Davies: At this point my officials have been advised that the following DEFRA delivery network bodies will require new appointments to be made in the coming year:
	The Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment will be seeking to recruit four new members
	Inland Waterways will be seeking to appoint three to four new members
	The Royal Botanical Gardens Kew will be seeking to appoint a new chair and two new members
	The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution will be seeking to appoint two new members
	The Veterinary Products Committee (VPC) will also be seeking a new chair and five new members. Recruitment for 19 VPC members is currently under way. The details of this campaign and four others which are also in train are available on DEFRA's website at:
	http://defra/corporate/appointments/index.htm
	The remit, salary, political restrictions, eligibility requirements and timetable for these posts will be agreed prior to recruitment campaigns starting. These posts will be subject to the requirements of the OCPA regulatory regime.
	In addition Natural England, the Joint Nature Conservancy Council and the Sustainable Development Commission will all be seeking to recruit new members in the forthcoming year but numbers and roles have not yet been confirmed.
	Further information on appointments made by DEFRA is published in the Department's annual report:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/deprep/2008/index.htm
	More detailed information about individual appointments is set out in the relevant body's annual report. Vacancies may be advertised on the Cabinet Office Public Appointments website at:
	www.publicappointments.gov.uk
	The process for making a public appointment, including guidance on political activity and eligibility criteria, follows the Cabinet Office publication "Making and Managing Public Appointments". For appointments regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments, the appointments process also complies with the "Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies". Copies are in the Libraries of the House.

Domestic Waste

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he has set targets for the reduction of household waste through home composting.

Jane Kennedy: Local authorities in England no longer have centrally imposed statutory targets on recycling and composting. This is consistent with Government policy to give local areas more freedom and flexibility on how they deliver national objectives.
	However 85 per cent. of local authorities have chosen at least one of the three waste reduction indicators as a local priority for the new local government performance framework.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether waste collection authorities are indemnified for making household waste collections on private roads.

Jane Kennedy: Section 46(5)(b) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA) requires waste collection authorities to ensure that arrangements have been made as to liability for any damage arising out of receptacles being placed on a highway.
	It is for the local authority concerned to ensure it is properly covered in all circumstances.

Fisheries: Western Sahara

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2009,  Official Report, column 548W, on Western Sahara: fisheries, what plans there are for UK-registered fishing vessels to fish in waters of the Western Sahara in the next 12 months.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The UK has two vessels operating in Moroccan waters under the EU/Morocco Fisheries Agreement. They have fished in the waters of Western Sahara in previous years and it is likely that they will do so again during the course of 2009.

Food

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what proportion of the food consumed in the UK in each of the last three years was  (a) produced domestically and  (b) imported;
	(2)  what proportion of the  (a) fruit and  (b) vegetables sold by domestic retailers was produced in the UK in each of the last three years.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale (Tim Farron) on 26 January 2009,  Official Report, column 47W.

Food: Waste Disposal

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what national targets his Department has for the reduction of levels of food waste; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) have not only achieved their aim to reduce household food waste by 100,000 tonnes by March 2008, but exceeded it by 10,000 tonnes. Since then the campaign 'Love Food Hate Waste' has helped consumers save a further 27,000 tonnes. WRAP, and their partners across the entire grocery sector, have also recently agreed to a new target to reduce UK household food waste by a further 155,000 tonnes by 2010.
	DEFRA is also working closely with the food industry to improve its environmental impact through the Food Industry Sustainability Strategy (FISS). The FISS targets a reduction in the food industry's own waste of 15-20 per cent. by 2010.

Incinerators: EC Law

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects the EU Waste Incineration Directive to be fully implemented in the UK.

Jane Kennedy: The Waste Incineration Directive (2000/76/EC) was implemented through regulations and directions made in 2002.

Joint Waste Authorities

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether joint waste authorities will be limited companies in their own right.

Jane Kennedy: Joint waste authorities will be statutory bodies, established by Order of the Secretary of State.

Land Use

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on  (a) proposals to increase the amount of land currently farmed for crops being set aside and  (b) proposals for the location of such land within (i) farm holdings and (ii) individual fields.

Jane Kennedy: Our policy is to encourage farmers to produce for the market whilst at the same time reducing negative impact on the environment.
	We expect to be in a position to consult on possible measures mitigating against the impact of the loss of set-aside, including options for farmers, later in the year.

Land Use

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the set-aside mitigation measures in cross-compliance on the farming industry.

Jane Kennedy: The Secretary of State asked Sir Don Curry to bring together stakeholders to consider the impact of the loss of set-aside including investigating mitigation. Sir Don reported in July and subsequently we have been considering the details of how mitigation might be put into practice. We expect to be in a position to consult on possible mitigation measures later in the year along with a consultation stage impact assessment which I will arrange to be laid in the Library of the House.

Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment has been made of the effect of the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme on local authority provision of trade waste collections.

Jane Kennedy: No formal assessment has been made of the effect of LATS on local authorities' provision of trade waste collections.

Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme on levels of  (a) collection and  (b) disposal of trade waste; for what reasons the scheme does not apply to private contractors operating on landfill sites; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: No formal assessment has been made of the effect of LATS on local authorities' provision of trade waste collection and disposal.
	The Landfill Directive sets targets for the diversion from landfill of biodegradable municipal waste. The main purpose of the LATS is to fulfil these requirements. The focus of the scheme is on local authorities rather then private contractors, primarily waste disposal authorities, as they are responsible for the disposal of municipal waste.

Litter

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 24 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 848W, on littering: young offenders, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Environment Agency's enforcement and prosecution policy and functional guidance.

Jane Kennedy: A copy of the Environment Agency's enforcement and prosecution policy and functional guidance will be placed in the Library of the House.

Pigmeat

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with food retailers on the labelling of pork products with information on the countries of origin and rearing of the pigs concerned.

Jane Kennedy: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I met with representatives of supermarkets and the British Retail Consortium last month to discuss how origin labelling for meat and meat products could be improved so that consumers could make an informed choice when buying these products.

Pollution: Greater London

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he or Ministers from his Department last met the Mayor of London to discuss air quality and the western extension of the congestion charging zone.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Minister for Sustainable Development and Energy Innovation, Lord Hunt, met the Mayor of London on 22 January 2009. At this meeting they discussed air quality in London and arrangements to work together to improve air quality.

Pollution: Greater London

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which stretches of London's roads are expected to breach EU air quality legislation on particulate matter in 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The consultation documents published on 29 January on the UK's draft notification to the European Commission on the additional time available to meet the limit value for particulate matter in certain areas, explain that existing measures, and those in development, are expected to ensure compliance with the limit values for particulate matter across all of Greater London by 2011. Copies of the consultation documents can be found on the DEFRA website:
	www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/air_quality/index.htm.
	The Government and the Mayor of London are committed to working together to ensure the UK will meet the limit values for particulate matter by 2011.

Recycling

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the use of recycling credits as a means of assisting local authorities to reach their targets on recycling; and if he will extend the scheme to include trade and other industrial waste.

Jane Kennedy: No such assessment has been made. There are no plans to extend the scheme to include trade and other industrial waste.

Renewable Energy: Public Consultation

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what public consultation he has undertaken on energy from waste options.

Jane Kennedy: The Government undertook a public consultation on the review of England's waste strategy, which examined energy from waste options, on 14 February 2006. The consultation closed on 9 May 2006 and its findings informed the Government's revised waste strategy document, 'Waste Strategy for England 2007'.

Sea Level

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his most recent estimate is of the rise in sea level around the UK between 2009 and 2020.

Huw Irranca-Davies: holding answer 10 February 2009
	 The most recent projections of sea level rise around the UK for 2020 come from a 2006 update to the UK Climate Impacts Programme UKCIP02 climate change scenarios published in 2002. These figures give sea level rise projections for the 2020s of 0-19 cm (relative to the 1961-90 average) depending on region and emissions scenario. The information can be viewed at:
	www.ukcip.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=87&Itemid=300.
	Updated sea level rise figures will be available from the upcoming UK Climate Projections (UKCP09) due for release in spring 2009.
	The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' Flood Management Programme has also published guidance (in 2006) on climate change impacts for decision making and adaptation purposes in flood and coastal erosion risk management. This guidance can be accessed at:
	www.defra.gov.uk/environ/fcd/pubs/pagn/climatechangeupdate.pdf.

Sheep: Electronic Tagging

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the cost to farmers of compliance with the new measures for electronic identification of sheep;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect of the new measures for electronic identification of sheep on the sustainability of the farming industry; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: A regulatory impact assessment has been produced for England, a copy of which is available on the DEFRA website. An updated version to take account of changes to Council Regulation 21/2004 that were negotiated over the summer and more detailed implementation options will accompany the consultation that is planned for the spring.
	Electronic identification of sheep is an EU requirement, but the administration and implementation of it is an issue for devolved administrations.

Slaughterhouses: Regulation

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to discuss the regulation of the slaughter of farm animals with his EU counterparts.

Jane Kennedy: There are no plans to discuss the proposed regulation on the welfare of animals at the time of killing with EU Ministerial counterparts. Detailed discussions involving the UK and all other member states are currently taking place in a series of Council working group meetings. These provide an opportunity for the UK to comment and to discuss issues with other member states. The proposal will also be discussed at the Council of Ministers once an agreed text has been finalised.

Slaughterhouses: Regulation

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to ensure that the derogation on the ritual slaughter of farm animals for human consumption will continue in any revision of EU Directive 93/119.

Jane Kennedy: The Government would prefer to see all animals stunned before they are killed. However we do recognise the rights of religious communities to eat meat killed in accordance with their religious beliefs.
	The European Commission has published a proposal for a regulation on the welfare of animals at the time of killing. If agreed, this will be directly applicable in every member state and will replace EU Directive 93/119 and all national legislation implementing it. The current Commission proposal includes a derogation allowing animals to be killed in accordance with religious rites without prior stunning. However the proposal gives individual member states the right to decide not to apply that derogation if they so wish.
	We believe it is important to ensure member states retain the ability to determine this issue. We will therefore be seeking to ensure member state discretion on this point is retained in the final regulation. We will pursue this point in ongoing negotiations and when the proposal is discussed in Council.

Supermarkets

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many times officials from his Department have met representatives from  (a) Tesco,  (b) Sainsbury's,  (c) Morrisons and  (d) Asda to discuss the introduction of a supermarket Ombudsman in the last 24 months.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 5 February 2009
	The Competition Commission is seeking undertakings from the grocery retailers covered by the new groceries supply code of practice to establish an ombudsman to monitor and enforce compliance.
	The creation of an ombudsman currently remains with the CC. No formal recommendation has been made to the Government.
	Until the proposal has been returned to the Government it is not appropriate for officials to comment on it, and accordingly, DEFRA officials have not discussed it.
	On the understanding that DEFRA could not comment, a representative of Sainsbury's has given a presentation to DEFRA officials on its view of the proposals. On the same basis other interested parties from outside the four large supermarkets have also provided DEFRA with their views on the proposal.

Waste and Resources Action Programme: Finance

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding his Department provided for the Waste and Resources Action Programme in each of the last nine years.

Jane Kennedy: DEFRA'S funding to WRAP in each of the last nine years was as follows:
	
		
			   Amount of funding  (£ million) 
			 2000-02 (1)6.326 
			 2002-03 10.473 
			 2003-04 24.050 
			 2004-05 45.708 
			 2005-06 68.200 
			 2006-07 57.928 
			 2007-08 58.830 
			 2008-09 (2)43.384 
			 Total funding 314.899 
			 (1) No accounts were drawn up for the year 2000-01. First Accounts were drawn up for the period from WRAP'S incorporation on 1 December 2000 to 31 March 2002. (2) This is the latest budget for the current financial year.

Waste Disposal

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what responsibilities for  (a) street cleaning,  (b) abandoned cars,  (c) fly-posting removal and enforcement and  (d) public conveniences the joint waste authorities will have; and what powers they will have in respect of those responsibilities.

Jane Kennedy: Section 205(8) of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 sets out the waste functions which may be transferred from the relevant authorities to a joint waste authority. These are functions conferred on a local authority by or under:
	 (a) Part 2 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (c.43) (waste on land)—includes waste disposal and/or waste collection functions;
	 (b) Part 4 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (c.43) (litter etc)—includes street cleansing;
	 (c) Section 32 of the Waste and Emissions Trading Act 2003 (c.33) (joint municipal waste management strategies)—duty to produce a joint municipal waste management strategy.
	Some or all of these individual waste functions may be transferred to a joint waste authority. However, once determined by the partners involved, the whole of each waste function must be transferred to the joint waste authority, so that the new joint waste authority will be an operational body. The relevant enforcement functions will also transfer.

Waste Disposal

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the  (a) effect of producer responsibility packaging regulations on methods of collection of glass from commercial premises and  (b) adequacy of the compliance schemes established under the regulations; and how many such schemes (i) are operational and (ii) have been discontinued.

Jane Kennedy: The information is as follows:
	 (a) DEFRA has made no assessment of the impact of the packaging regulations on methods of glass collection from commercial premises.
	 (b) The compliance scheme system established under the packaging regulations has allowed the UK, and UK businesses, to achieve compliance with EU recovery and recycling targets.
	(i) There were 36 packaging compliance schemes registered in the UK in 2008.
	(ii) Since 1998 the Environment Agencies have de-registered two compliance schemes for non-compliance with the regulations. However non-compliance was the result of administrative failures and not owing to the schemes failing to satisfy their members' legal obligations.

Waste Disposal: Fees and Charges

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department's National Fly-tipping Prevention Group has made of the effects on the incidence of fly-tipping of charges for the collection of household waste.

Jane Kennedy: Members of the National Fly-tipping Prevention Group attend meetings on a quarterly basis. Issues relating to charging for collection of household waste have not been formally raised as an agenda item and therefore have not been discussed.

Waste Disposal: Fees and Charges

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which local authorities have expressed an interest in levying charges for the collection of household waste; and how many such expressions were made by  (a) elected councillors and  (b) council staff.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the written statement I made on Household Waste Incentives on 22 January 2009,  Official Report, column 40WS.

Property Development: Rural Areas

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent steps the Government has taken to address the over-development of rural communities.

Iain Wright: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government are committed to addressing the housing, employment and social needs of rural communities in ways that are sustainable and compatible with the protection of the countryside. Our advice to local planning authorities about development in rural areas is set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 2, "Green Belts" (PPG2), Planning Policy Statement 3, "Housing" (PPS3) and Planning Policy Statement 7, "Sustainable Development in Rural Areas" (PPS7). For example, a key principle of PPS7 is that new building development in the open countryside away from existing settlements, or outside areas allocated for development in the local plan, should be strictly controlled.
	We set up the Affordable Rural Housing Commission in summer 2005 to look into the availability of affordable housing in rural areas. Following publication of the Commission's report in May 2006, we have responded positively to the majority of their (over 100) recommendations where they were directed at Communities and Local Government. Many of the recommendations are embodied in Planning Policy Statement 3, "Housing" (PPS3).
	Published in November 2006, PPS3 highlights the need to provide market and affordable housing in all areas, including rural areas. The delivery of housing in rural areas should respect the key principles underpinning PPS3 of providing high quality housing that contributes to the creation and maintenance of sustainable rural communities in market towns and villages. New housing, particularly in the examples of very small villages and hamlets, would need to be carefully considered and managed so as not to have adverse impacts on those areas which would actually undermine sustainable development objectives.
	We also invited the hon. Member for Truro and St. Austell (Matthew Taylor) to carry out an independent review of economics and affordable housing provision in the countryside. His report, Living Working Countryside, came out in July 2008, and its recommendations are being given thorough consideration: we will publish our response shortly.

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Sport England: Sports Council Trust

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the monetary value of Sport England's share in the Sports Council Trust Company.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I have been asked to reply.
	The accounts of the Sports Council Trust Company are consolidated within those for Sport England and I am content with the auditor's assessment for 2007-08.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Disabled Staff

Lembit �pik: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many people the House of Commons employs who are registered disabled; what proportion of all staff in the House of Commons Service they represent; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: The introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act in 1995 meant that most organisations ceased to automatically request staff to register any disabilities they might have and the House Service adopted this as best practice.
	However, following information-gathering exercises carried out since December 2007, 78 employees have declared that they have a disability. This amounts to 3.9 per cent. of all employees.
	The Equality Scheme for the House will be presented to the Commission in March and, if approved, will then be put onto the parliamentary website for public consultation. Specific training on disability awareness and etiquette is now available for all staff and a booklet on managing staff with a disability is being issued to all line managers.

Parking

Greg Knight: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to the Answer of 21 April 2008,  Official Report, columns 1343-4W, on parking, whether the rate of air change in the underground car park was changed to its original level by 21 April 2008; whether the rate of air change is currently at its planned level; and whether a major refurbishment of the ventilation system is planned for 2010-11.

Nick Harvey: The rate of air change in the underground car park was changed to its original level by 21 April 2008. The rate of air change is currently at its planned level. Major refurbishment of the ventilation system is included in the works programme for 2010-12.

Work Experience

Ashok Kumar: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what arrangements there are for people to undertake internships in the House service.

Nick Harvey: The House service currently provides a number of opportunities for people to undertake internships.
	The Scrutiny Unit, in the Department of Chamber and Committee Services, has three Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) interns a year, each spending three months with the unit. It has also for the first time this year taken on two interns from the London School of Economics who will be with the unit for six months. For the last two years the Joint Committee on Human Rights has had a scholar (effectively an intern) who has come on recommendation from the Hansard Society. Each placement lasts approximately three months.
	The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology runs formal fellowship schemes with scientific societies and research councils, whereby students registered for a PhD in UK universities can spend three months working at POST through an extension of their maintenance grants. The number of students taken varies year on year between 12 and 16. POST has started placing some of these students with select committees.
	The Department of Information Services takes on PhD students, funded by the ESRC, to work as interns in the International Affairs and Defence Section (IADS) and the Parliament and Constitution Centre. Two students per year have been taken, each for three-month placements.
	In addition to internships, the House service also provides opportunities for sandwich students, apprenticeships, work experience placements and placements for people with learning difficulties.

SCOTLAND

Departmental Buildings

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will place in the Library a copy of the  (a) display energy certificates and  (b) advisory reports for public buildings issued in respect of each property occupied by his Department.

Ann McKechin: I have placed in the Library a copy of the display energy certificate and associated advisory report in respect of the only property occupied by my Department in England and Wales.

Departmental Foreign Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many  (a) EU foreign nationals and  (b) non-EU foreign nationals are employed by his Department.

Ann McKechin: All staff in the Scotland Office are on secondment from the Scottish Executive or the Ministry of Justice; who remain their employers. It is the responsibility of these Departments to provide details of EU foreign nationals and non EU foreign nationals employed.

Departmental Impact Assessments

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many equalities impact assessments his Department has undertaken in the last 12 month period for which figures are available; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of such assessments.

Ann McKechin: No equality impact assessments have been undertaken in the last 12 months.

Departmental Lobbying

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether Ministers in his Department received representations from  (a) Lord Moonie,  (b) Lord Taylor of Blackburn,  (c) Lord Snape and  (d) Lord Truscott in the last seven months.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office has not received any representations as described in the question.

Departmental Pensions

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps his Department is taking to advise staff of pension options available to them in relation to added years or additional voluntary contributions.

Ann McKechin: Members of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme receive an annual benefit statement showing the pension built up to date, and also a projection of their pension on retirement if they continue in service to scheme pension age. The benefit statement prompts the member to consider boosting their pension and provides details of the Civil Service pensions website where staff can obtain further information, including options for making additional voluntary contributions and a calculator to work out costs for added pension (previously added years).
	New entrants are informed of pension options in the employment offer and are provided with a pension information pack.
	Cabinet Office provides leaflets that explain added pension and additional voluntary contributions for members. The information is also available in scheme booklets. These are available on the Civil Service Pensions website or on request from the member's pensions administrator.
	All staff in the Scotland Office are on secondment from the Scottish Executive or the Ministry of Justice and remain on the payroll of their parent Department. Information on pension options available to staff, including added pension and additional voluntary contributions, are available on the parent Department's Intranet sites, to which all staff have access.

Iceland

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the purpose of his visit to Iceland in November 2008 was; how much the visit cost in each category of expenditure; what meetings he attended; what matters were discussed; and how many officials from  (a) the Scotland Office and  (b) other Government departments accompanied him.

Jim Murphy: The purpose of the visit was to discuss the impact of the failure of Icelandic banks on individuals, local authorities and other bodies in Scotland. The cost of travel and accommodation was 3,997.16. I met with the Prime Minister and with the Deputy Foreign Minister of Iceland, and with the Norwegian Foreign Minister. I also visited a geothermal power station. I was accompanied by three departmental staff. All ministerial travel was undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Apprentices

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 11 June 2008,  Official Report, column 332W, on apprentices, what progress her Department has made towards meeting its share of the Government's commitment to employ over 1,000 apprentices in central Government Departments and agencies in 2008-09.

Phil Woolas: Government Skills are preparing a response which will include data for a number of Departments, including the Home Office.

Asylum

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress is being made in clearing the backlog of undetermined immigration legacy cases; by what date she expects all such cases to have been determined; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: As of 9 January the UK Border Agency concluded 155,500 legacy cases. The Agency is aiming to conclude these cases by summer 2011.

Asylum

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance the UK Border Agency has issued to the police on reporting requirements for unsuccessful asylum seekers and their dependent children.

Phil Woolas: Instructions to the police on reporting requirements for unsuccessful asylum claimants are the same as for asylum seekers whose claims are still being considered and for all of those who are liable to detention and who are subject to temporary admission.
	For all individuals who are required to report to police stations, UKBA issues a form instructing the police that the individual will start reporting, and to inform the UKBA office commissioning the reporting events if the individual fails to report. UKBA also prescribes the frequency with which each individual should report.
	Children under the age of 17 are not normally required to report on a regular basis, but may be required to attend on some occasions, as part of the strategy for keeping in touch.

Asylum: Zimbabwe

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration she has given to changing the criteria applied to Zimbabwean nations seeking asylum in the UK.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 10 February 2009
	All asylum and human rights claims are considered on their individual merits in accordance with our obligations under the refugee convention and the European convention on human rights. Decisions take account of the individual facts of the case, up-to-date objective country information and any relevant case law.
	The Operational Guidance Note providing policy advice for case owners considering asylum claims from Zimbabweans was last updated on 1 December 2008 and is kept under continual review.

British Nationality: Northern Ireland

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for British naturalisation there were from people resident in Northern Ireland in 2007; and how many were successful.

Phil Woolas: There were 485 naturalisation applications from people who submitted their applications to the Northern Ireland Local Authority in 2007. Of this number received, 450 have been approved.
	The information has been provided from local management information and is not a national statistic. As such, it should be treated as provisional and therefore subject to change.

China

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of the security operation for the visit to the UK of the Chinese Prime Minister was; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 9 February 2009
	This information is not held centrally. The cost of the security operations for the visit to the UK of the Chinese Premier, Wen Jiabao, is a matter for the Metropolitan Police Commissioner and the Metropolitan Police Authority and for the chief constable and police authority for each of the other forces involved in the visit.

Crime Prevention

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what data her Department hold on the performance of Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships.

Jacqui Smith: We do not have a rolling programme for collecting data on the performance of Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs). Following a review of the partnerships provisions of the Crime and Disorder 1998 Act, the duties on CDRPs to produce three yearly audits and to report annually to the Secretary of State on a partnership's work and progress were repealed in 2007. They were replaced by new statutory requirements in 2007 to introduce minimum standards for partnership working based on six Hallmarks of Effective Partnerships. These include a duty on CDRPs to produce a strategic assessment identifying local community safety priorities and a partnership plan which sets out the approach for addressing these priorities.

Crime: Statistics

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 1483-86W, on crime: statistics, whether the National Policing Improvement Agency categorises data it collects on incidents of anti-social behaviour by type.

Jacqui Smith: The National Incident Category List (NICL) sets out an agreed framework for the recording of incidents that do not amount to notifiable crime. NICL sits within the National Standard for Incident Recording. NICL provides national definitions for a range of incident types, including those amounting to antisocial behaviour.

Crime: Statistics

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 1483W, on crime: statistics, for what reason the data on anti-social behaviour are only available for 2007-08.

Jacqui Smith: Returns of antisocial behaviour incident data were first included in the Police Annual Data Requirement with effect from 1 April 2007 which was the date on which the National Standard for Incident Recording (incorporating the National Incident Category List) came into full effect nationally.

Departmental Cost Effectiveness

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what Gershon savings were achieved by her Department in the last three years; and which of those were cash savings.

Jacqui Smith: My Department reported performance against the 2004 Value for Money Spending Review target in the 2008 Home Office Autumn Performance Report (column 7512). By the end of 2007-08, the Department had achieved gains worth 2,855 million per annum, of which 1,552 million per annum was cashable, compared with its target in the 2004 spending review to achieve improvements worth 1,970 million per annum of which 1,060 million per annum would be cashable.

Departmental Plants

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department has spent on  (a) pot plants and  (b) flowers in each of the last three years.

Phil Woolas: Figures on the cost of pot plants and flowers are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Public Appointments

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which of the public appointments for which her Department is responsible are due to be  (a) renewed and  (b) filled in the next 24 months; what the (i) remit, (ii) salary, (iii) political restriction, (iv) eligibility requirement and (v) timetable for each appointment is; and what records her Department keeps in respect of such appointments.

Phil Woolas: Information on appointments made by the Department is published in the Department's Annual Report and is available on the Department's website:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/ho-public-appointments-2007.
	The process for making a public appointment, including guidance on political activity and eligibility criteria, follows the Cabinet Office publication Making and Managing Public Appointments.
	For appointments regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments, the appointments process also complies with the Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies. Copies are in the Libraries of the House.

Departmental Public Appointments

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the running costs of her Department's Senior Appointments Panel.

Jacqui Smith: The cost of the new Senior Appointments Panel is estimated at 500,000 per annum. This includes the salary costs of four staff, fees and expenses for the independent chair and panel members, and research to support the workings of the panel. The cost of the panel will be absorbed by the Home Office.

Departmental Security

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2009,  Official Report, column 284W, on departmental security, how many lost or stolen security passes have since been recovered.

Phil Woolas: The Departmental Security Unit do not keep records of Home Office HQ passes found or recovered as lost or stolen passes are deactivated as soon as they are reported missing/stolen and are deleted from the system, thereby preventing access to Home Office buildings.
	In the calendar year 2008, UK Border Agency reported that 26 UKBA passes had been found (warrant cards are included in this figures, as for some business areas they are the same document).

Departmental Translation Services

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department and its agencies have spent on translation services in each of the last 60 months.

Jacqui Smith: The Department's expenditure on translation and interpretation services is set out in the following table, 2007-08 being the most recent period for which there are audited figures.
	
		
			  000 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Home Office, including UKBA 13,499 14,903 10,419 9,683 9,636 
			 Identity and Passport Service 3 3 3 6 260 
			 Criminal Records Bureau 0 0 0 13 0 
		
	
	The figures cannot be analysed by month without incurring disproportionate cost.
	The Home Office figures in the table, for the financial years 2004-05 to 2007-08, do not include those for the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and the Office of Criminal Justice and Reform (OCJR), which transferred to Ministry of Justice on 1 April 2007: figures for NOMS and OCJR for 2003-04 could not be deducted from the Home Office total without incurring disproportionate cost.
	For the Identity and Passport Service, the offer of interpreter services was introduced when interviews for first time adults became compulsory in 2007-08. Face-to-face interviews for first time applicants are designed to help tackle fraud and ensure the British passport remains among the most secure in the world.
	Interviews are tailored to the individual in order to securely establish identity and it is possible that some interviews could require the assistance of an interpreter to help IPS staff satisfy themselves that the person attending is the legitimate passport applicant.

Deportation

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether bonuses are paid to those employed to supervise the transportation of deportees to airports, on the removal of such deportees.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 9 February 2009
	The contract for the escorting of individuals being removed or deported from the UK is operated by Group 4 Securicor (G4S).
	The contractors employ detainee custody officers (DCOs) to carry out the duties of escorting those people being removed from the UK.
	Under the contract, the UK Border Agency does not make any bonus payment to G4S for effecting removals or deportations. G4S have said that they do not pay bonuses to their staff that carry out these duties.

Deportation: Sri Lanka

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent changes have been made to her Department's policy on the removal of Sri Lankan Tamils from the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: It remains our policy that enforced returns to Sri Lanka, or any other country, will only be undertaken where the UK Border Agency is satisfied that to do so is in accordance with our international protection obligations.
	The UK Border Agency carefully considers all asylum claims and human rights claims, including those from Tamils, on their individual merits against the background of the latest available country information drawn from a wide range of publicly recognised sources and relevant case law. If their application is refused, they have a right of appeal to the Asylum Immigration Tribunal or an opportunity to seek judicial review through the higher courts. In this way we ensure that we provide protection to those asylum seekers who need it.
	The 2008 European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) case of NA endorsed existing Asylum and Immigration Tribunal country guidance case law on risk to Tamils in Sri Lanka. The ECtHR considered that there was no general risk of mistreatment to Tamils in Sri Lanka.

Detention Centres: Translation Services

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent on interpretation and translation services within the immigration detention estate in 2008; how much was spent at each detention centre; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: In 2008 the UK Border Agency detention service spent 30,590 on interpretation and translation services at the Immigration Removal Centres.
	The following table shows the spend for each of the 10 Immigration Removal Centres for 2008.
	
		
			  Spend 
			 Campsfield House 1,545 
			 Colnbrook 3,645 
			 Dover Removal centre 320 
			 Dungavel 2,349 
			 Harmondsworth 62 
			 Haslar 4,704 
			 Lindholme 831 
			 Oakington 3,955 
			 Tinsley House 7,333 
			 Yarls Wood 5,846

Emergency Calls

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average length of time from the receipt of a 999 call to a police officer's arrival at an accident or a crime scene was in each police force area are each of the last 10 years.

Jacqui Smith: This information is not held centrally.

Entry Clearances

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average waiting time for responses to visa applications has been in each of the last five years.

Phil Woolas: Public service agreement (PSA) target times for processing visa applications during FY 2004-05 to FY 2007-08 were as follows:
	PSA 1: 90 per cent. of straightforward non-settlement applications processed in 24 hours;
	PSA 2: 90 per cent. of non-settlement applications requiring further inquires to be processed within 15 working days;
	PSA 3: 90 per cent. of applicants for settlement visas to be assessed or interviewed within in 50 working days.
	The UK Border Agency retained the same targets for visa processing from April 2008. Our performance against these targets is shown in the following table.
	Data for years prior to FY 2006-07 are not available.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   FY 2008-09(Apr-Dec)  FY 2007-08  FY  2006-07 
			 PSA 1 84 89 89 
			 PSA 2 86 93 94 
			 PSA 3 82 93 91 
			  Note: The data for 2007/08 and 2008/09 are unpublished and should be treated as provisional.  Source: Central Reference System, 29 January 2009 
		
	
	New customer service standards for visa processing times were introduced in January 2009 and are published on the Border Agency's Visa Services website, together with actual monthly processing times for each visa-issuing post.
	These are end-to-end processing times which include processing at Visa Application Centres (run by our commercial partners) as well as processing at Visa Sections.

Frontex

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what  (a) contracts and  (b) other obligations her Department has with Frontex; whether her Department has plans to enter into any further such obligations; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The Home Office does not have any contract with the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union (Frontex). The UK is excluded from the Frontex Regulation on Schengen building grounds. Our exclusion means that in practice we do not have the same level of influence as the other member states. We play an active role at the Frontex Management Board but we do not have a vote. Our officers participate in Frontex joint operations and other activities with the agreement of the management board on a case-by-case basis in an observational/advisory role.
	We have demonstrated our commitment to Frontex by making an annual financial contribution to Frontex, seconding staff to Frontex's headquarters, participating in a variety of Frontex activities and operations as well as offering Frontex access to a range of technical equipment. We see the improved coordination of border management of Schengen States as having a direct impact to the United Kingdom, and play as full a part as possible in operations, and should commit resources to them for this purpose.

Illegal Immigrants

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many undocumented immigrants have been  (a) repatriated,  (b) held in detention and  (c) released after being arrested in raids by the UK Border Agency and its predecessors in each year since 2001.

Jacqui Smith: There are no circumstances where an undocumented individual can be removed. Where an individual has no valid travel document, the UK Border Agency will obtain an Emergency Travel Document (ETD) through the relevant embassy, high commission or consulate of the country in question or where possible arrange removal using a European Union Letter (EUL).
	Information on how many undocumented migrants have been held in detention and released after being arrested following operational visits by the UK Border Agency could be obtained by the detailed examination of individual case records only at disproportionate cost.
	Published statistics on immigration and asylum, including removals, are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate web site at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html

Illegal Immigrants: Employment

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what businesses the UK Border Agency and its predecessors has raided on suspicion that they were employing illegal immigrants in each of the last six years; and what businesses  (a) were fined and  (b) had a civil penalty imposed on them for employing such immigrants in each of those years;
	(2)  how many raids upon businesses the UK Border Agency and its predecessors undertook in each year since 2004; and how many undocumented immigrants were arrested in those raids.

Jacqui Smith: The number of UK Border Agency enforcement visits to UK businesses suspected of employing illegal workers and the numbers arrested during these visits in each year since April 2005 is attached at Annex A. Details prior to 2005 are not available. Information on how many of the individuals arrested were undocumented and could be obtained by the detailed examination of individual case records only at disproportionate cost.
	All data are sourced from the National Operations Database (NOD) which was launched in April 2005. NOD is a management information tool and data from it are not quality assured under national statistics protocols. Figures provided from NOD do not constitute part of national statistics and should be treated as provisional.
	Details of businesses prosecuted and fined for employing illegal migrant workers under section 8 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 are published in the Control of Immigration Statistics United Kingdom 2007 which is available in the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate web site at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html
	Details of Civil Penalties issued to employers under the Immigration Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 can be found on the UK Border Agency website at:
	http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/employersandsponsors/listemployerspenalties/
	 Annex A
	
		
			  The number of UK Border Agency enforcement visits to UK businesses and numbers arrested 
			   April 2005 to March 06  April 06 to March 07  April 07 to March 08  April 08 to November 08 
			 Illegal working (IW) visits 2,915 4,614 7,178 4,751 
			 IW visits with arrests 1,575 2,044 2,855 2,058 
			 Persons arrested 3,819 4,001 5,589 4,106 
			  Source: All data are sourced from the National Operations Database (NOD). NOD is a management information tool and data from it is not quality assured under National Statistics protocols. Figures provided from the NOD do not constitute part of National Statistics and should be treated as provisional.

Immigration

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent steps she has taken to reduce the time taken to determine applications for indefinite leave to remain; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: In order to drive improvements throughout 2009-10 new processes are being introduced with initial focus on clearing older cases and improving overall throughput. A new performance monitoring mechanism to enable the agency to keep a tight grip on performance is due to be introduced in April.

Members: Correspondence

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to answer Question 243298, on identity cards and foreign nationals, tabled on 9 December 2008.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 27 January 2009
	I replied to the hon. Member on 29 January 2009,  Official Report, column 810W.

Members: Correspondence

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to answer Question 243515, on identity card verification across Government, tabled on 9 December 2008.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 27 January 2009
	I replied to the hon. Member on 19 January 2009,  Official Report, column 1228W.

Offenders: Deportation

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders who had previously been deported have been convicted since 2001; and how many were  (a) EU citizens and  (b) non-EU citizens.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 3 February 2009
	The information requested can be obtained only through the detailed examination of individual case files at disproportionate cost. Those who are subject to deportation orders are prevented from re-entering the United Kingdom. Where it is found that an individual has attempted to enter in breach of a deportation order, the UK Border Agency will remove them at the earliest opportunity.
	The chief executive of the UK Border Agency has regularly written to the Home Affairs Select Committee and provided all of the most robust and accurate information available on the deportation of foreign national prisoners. Copies of her letters are available in the Library of the House.

Police: Finance

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the  (a) cash grants and  (b) overall budget her Department has provided for each police force in each of the last 10 years.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Total grants and budget requirements for police authorities in England and Wales 1998-99 to 2008-09 
			   million 
			   1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02 
			  Police authority  Total grants( 1)  Budget requirement( 2)  Total grants( 1)  Budget requirement( 2)  Total grants( 1)  Budget requirement( 2)  Total grants( 1)  Budget requirement( 2) 
			 Avon and Somerset 142.1 164.8 144.3 173.3 150.8 181.2 167.3 189.7 
			 Bedfordshire 53.1 61.3 52.7 63.4 55.6 66.8 60.9 70.7 
			 Cambridgeshire 61.4 70.8 63.6 75.2 66.8 79.5 75.2 84.1 
			 Cheshire 89.5 105.0 93.8 111.1 98.7 115.1 104.5 121.8 
			 Cleveland 73.6 79.3 74.6 83.3 77.9 86.5 82.9 90.7 
			 Cumbria 52.5 61.9 53.4 64.5 56.1 67.4 60.9 70.6 
			 Derbyshire 88.0 98.8 91.0 106.5 92.4 111.1 103.5 117.0 
			 Devon and Cornwall 145.1 164.7 149.2 175.9 156.0 182.4 172.2 191.1 
			 Dorset 58.6 72.6 61.0 77.4 60.4 81.0 65.4 84.6 
			 Durham 71.5 77.0 74.9 81.3 78.6 84.0 83.3 87.7 
			 Essex 133.6 163.6 137.8 169.5 148.1 183.1 159.8 194.8 
			 Gloucestershire 52.6 62.4 52.8 66.0 54.6 68.6 60.4 72.2 
			 Hampshire 161.6 187.1 165.3 196.5 172.7 204.7 186.4 216.2 
			 Hertfordshire 79.2 96.0 85.0 101.6 97.2 121.2 106.4 129.3 
			 Humberside 101.3 110.0 101.1 114.3 106.3 118.9 114.1 128.2 
			 Kent 154.9 176.1 157.0 184.2 165.9 193.1 183.1 206.7 
			 Lancashire 156.0 174.4 158.1 181.3 168.8 189.6 186.4 198.0 
			 Leicestershire 86.4 101.1 89.7 106.3 93.1 110.2 103.7 116.4 
			 Lincolnshire 52.0 65.8 54.6 69.7 58.7 72.6 61.0 76.1 
			 Norfolk 71.4 81.0 71.0 86.9 75.4 91.5 82.2 98.4 
			 Northamptonshire 54.6 66.1 55.9 70.4 59.4 73.4 63.6 76.8 
			 North Yorkshire 66.3 74.4 66.2 78.0 67.5 81.0 75.8 85.9 
			 Nottinghamshire 112.2 122.9 117.7 129.6 120.2 133.8 124.5 140.3 
			 Staffordshire 99.8 117.2 100.2 122.2 102.4 127.0 108.3 134.3 
			 Suffolk 55.9 65.8 58.7 69.9 61.7 72.9 69.4 77.6 
			 Surrey 69.2 88.8 77.2 93.4 94.7 119.9 94.4 122.4 
			 Sussex 137.6 161.4 141.4 168.0 145.3 174.5 156.7 183.9 
			 Thames Valley 185.8 217.4 188.7 229.1 195.3 238.3 218.9 252.1 
			 Warwickshire 43.2 52.8 44.0 55.9 48.9 58.9 58.9 62.4 
			 West Mercia 92.6 110.4 97.5 116.5 103.9 125.7 114.8 133.2 
			 Wiltshire 54.0 65.6 54.6 68.9 57.7 72.0 62.9 75.6 
			 Greater Manchester 332.3 365.7 341.7 382.5 355.0 393.6 394.0 411.1 
			 Merseyside 216.7 239.6 218.4 247.0 226.6 253.7 239.3 265.1 
			 Northumbria 193.6 202.6 197.4 212.6 200.9 218.4 220.5 227.6 
			 South Yorkshire 150.8 165.1 156.6 173.3 162.8 179.7 171.0 187.2 
			 West Midlands 341.0 367.2 348.8 380.9 363.3 394.6 384.6 410.7 
			 West Yorkshire 252.9 278.1 258.8 289.1 273.7 301.4 289.3 314.1 
			 Metropolitan 1,606.8 1,777.5 1,629.3 1,836.2 1,635.4 1,830.0 1,789.4 1,980.1 
			 City of London 71.0 57.1 72.0 57.1 74.6 57.9 87.0 59.7 
			 Dyfed-Powys 43.5 51.8 43.6 55.7 46.5 59.0 53.2 62.9 
			 Gwent 59.0 66.9 62.2 71.4 64.5 76.1 70.2 80.7 
			 North Wales 63.2 73.9 64.5 79.6 67.6 84.0 74.0 89.5 
			 South Wales 144.6 161.1 148.2 170.0 152.4 179.1 165.0 188.9 
			 (1) Total grants comprises: General Grant and specific resource grants and capital provision. (2) Source: Communities and Local Government - English Police Authorities/ Welsh Assembly GovernmentWelsh police authorities  Note: Adjusted for comparison purposes following the transfer of pensions and security funding from general grant to specific grants 
		
	
	
		
			  Total grants and budget requirements for police authorities in England and Wales 1998-99 to 2008-09 
			   million 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			  Police authority  Total grants( 1)  Budget requirement( 2)  Total grants( 1)  Budget requirement( 2)  Total grants( 1)  Budget requirement( 2) 
			 Avon and Somerset 166.6 196.1 174.1 215.9 180.0 228.7 
			 Bedfordshire 65.4 72.6 67.0 78.2 69.1 83.1 
			 Cambridgeshire 73.5 90.8 79.4 99.1 83.1 106.1 
			 Cheshire 107.2 125.0 118.4 135.2 118.7 142.3 
			 Cleveland 88.0 95.7 91.2 103.7 94.8 109.4 
			 Cumbria 61.5 72.7 63.8 79.7 66.2 85.5 
			 Derbyshire 102.8 123.6 108.6 132.9 111.9 139.8 
			 Devon and Cornwall 173.6 198.4 179.0 220.2 185.6 233.2 
			 Dorset 65.4 87.9 68.3 95.6 70.1 101.7 
			 Durham 84.3 89.2 88.7 95.7 91.4 100.7 
			 Essex 168.5 198.5 173.3 212.8 177.3 222.1 
			 Gloucestershire 60.6 75.0 63.5 86.9 65.6 92.0 
			 Hampshire 192.8 227.5 209.7 247.6 210.1 261.5 
			 Hertfordshire 107.3 132.7 111.1 143.2 115.1 152.7 
			 Humberside 113.4 131.6 121.1 142.0 124.8 150.4 
			 Kent 186.8 214.6 203.3 233.0 203.9 245.8 
			 Lancashire 183.8 202.0 194.0 216.8 200.9 228.9 
			 Leicestershire 102.4 122.6 108.7 130.1 112.7 138.1 
			 Lincolnshire 65.9 77.1 66.9 81.1 69.2 85.1 
			 Norfolk 85.5 104.4 92.4 113.5 92.6 121.3 
			 Northamptonshire 64.5 81.6 71.7 90.3 71.7 96.7 
			 North Yorkshire 78.0 93.1 81.3 114.3 80.7 122.0 
			 Nottinghamshire 131.4 145.2 136.0 158.2 141.2 165.7 
			 Staffordshire 110.7 137.0 119.9 149.1 120.7 157.1 
			 Suffolk 68.0 81.2 71.8 89.7 73.6 94.6 
			 Surrey 93.7 128.6 101.1 149.2 100.9 157.9 
			 Sussex 164.5 189.8 170.8 211.2 175.4 221.6 
			 Thames Valley 223.3 259.3 231.9 292.4 239.9 311.5 
			 Warwickshire 51.5 65.8 56.1 70.3 55.9 73.9 
			 West Mercia 112.2 144.4 117.9 154.5 121.1 165.3 
			 Wiltshire 63.1 77.6 65.6 83.8 67.5 88.3 
			 Greater Manchester 393.0 415.3 422.9 450.9 436.9 468.9 
			 Merseyside 254.9 268.6 265.9 282.9 273.7 294.9 
			 Northumbria 213.0 228.6 227.7 241.2 240.8 249.8 
			 South Yorkshire 178.7 191.4 193.0 207.2 194.9 216.6 
			 West Midlands 397.4 415.5 437.7 441.2 442.8 460.6 
			 West Yorkshire 302.9 323.9 318.1 345.6 328.8 363.7 
			 Metropolitan 1,930.2 2,037.7 2,052.3 2,207.8 2,133.1 2,343.3 
			 City of London 92.0 60.4 99.4 71.3 111.0 72.8 
			 Dyfed-Powys 53.9 65.3 56.4 71.2 58.4 76.5 
			 Gwent 72.2 84.4 76.6 92.0 78.9 97.5 
			 North Wales 78.8 93.5 82.1 104.6 86.0 113.2 
			 South Wales 169.2 195.0 175.6 201.0 181.7 216.6 
		
	
	
		
			   million 
			   2005-06  2006-07( 3) 
			  Police authority  Total grants( 1)  Budget requirement( 2)  Total grants( 1)  Budget requirement( 2) 
			 Avon and Somerset 189.2 240.6 194.1 236.7 
			 Bedfordshire 72.6 87.3 75.3 87.3 
			 Cambridgeshire 86.9 112.5 88.6 110.5 
			 Cheshire 122.7 148.4 129.7 150.3 
			 Cleveland 98.8 114.8 103.9 115.0 
			 Cumbria 69.3 89.1 72.6 90.3 
			 Derbyshire 117.1 145.9 117.9 145.3 
			 Devon and Cornwall 193.9 243.7 199.7 246.3 
			 Dorset 73.2 107.0 76.4 103.1 
			 Durham 95.7 105.4 98.6 102.6 
			 Essex 185.9 232.2 194.2 232.0 
			 Gloucestershire 68.7 95.9 70.5 91.5 
			 Hampshire 216.7 272.9 225.7 269.7 
			 Hertfordshire 120.4 159.5 121.9 164.2 
			 Humberside 130.5 156.9 136.2 158.1 
			 Kent 211.2 256.5 219.7 247.3 
			 Lancashire 210.2 240.4 223.6 239.5 
			 Leicestershire 119.0 146.3 124.6 148.3 
			 Lincolnshire 71.8 89.9 76.2 86.5 
			 Norfolk 96.1 127.5 101.1 124.7 
			 Northamptonshire 75.4 101.8 79.7 105.4 
			 North Yorkshire 84.1 126.2 86.2 122.9 
			 Nottinghamshire 146.0 173.4 146.0 170.5 
			 Staffordshire 125.5 163.9 130.4 164.0 
			 Suffolk 76.5 98.9 78.6 97.4 
			 Surrey 103.3 165.4 110.4 172.4 
			 Sussex 182.9 231.3 189.5 227.2 
			 Thames Valley 249.7 325.2 259.7 329.1 
			 Warwickshire 57.9 77.2 60.6 76.6 
			 West Mercia 125.7 172.8 132.3 176.8 
			 Wiltshire 70.2 92.7 73.6 91.6 
			 Greater Manchester 455.8 493.9 482.9 503.5 
			 Merseyside 282.8 306.6 299.4 296.4 
			 Northumbria 252.9 262.0 265.6 260.5 
			 South Yorkshire 201.3 226.4 209.2 230.6 
			 West Midlands 468.0 491.0 491.8 501.6 
			 West Yorkshire 343.0 383.0 356.8 380.2 
			 Metropolitan 2,254.5 2,488.3 2,382.4 2,425.7 
			 City of London 117.6 60.0 118.9 61.2 
			 Dyfed-Powys 60.6 80.3 64.2 79.9 
			 Gwent 81.9 102.3 86.1 106.1 
			 North Wales 88.3 120.7 90.2 118.7 
			 South Wales 190.0 227.4 196.6 222.6 
			 (1) Total grants comprises: General Grant and specific resource grants and capital provision. (2) Source: Communities and Local Government - English Police Authorities/ Welsh Assembly GovernmentWelsh police authorities (3) Adjusted for comparison purposes following the transfer of pensions and security funding from general grant to specific grants 
		
	
	
		
			  Total grants and budget requirements for police authorities in England and Wales 1998-99 to 2008-09 
			   million 
			   2007-08  2008-09 
			  Police authority  Total grants( 1)  Budget requirement( 2)  Total grants( 1)  Budget requirement( 2) 
			 Avon and Somerset 206.3 248.9 210.9 259.5 
			 Bedfordshire 79.0 91.2 82.7 96.1 
			 Cambridgeshire 88.9 116.0 98.3 120.7 
			 Cheshire 136.4 157.4 142.3 168.1 
			 Cleveland 108.0 119.7 111.1 124.6 
			 Cumbria 78.1 94.0 82.1 97.4 
			 Derbyshire 123.6 151.6 131.4 157.2 
			 Devon and Cornwall 211.9 256.8 2222 268.1 
			 Dorset 81.2 107.8 81.7 111.8 
			 Durham 107.2 112.3 106.7 116.1 
			 Essex 202.1 242.2 211.5 251.1 
			 Gloucestershire 73.3 95.7 77.4 99.1 
			 Hampshire 233.2 281.9 251.9 294.2 
			 Hertfordshire 130.6 171.4 133.7 178.2 
			 Humberside 145.4 164.9 148.8 169.7 
			 Kent 235.4 257.9 237.5 266.9 
			 Lancashire 233.5 252.6 239.7 262.1 
			 Leicestershire 129.0 154.7 138.5 164.7 
			 Lincolnshire 80.4 90.4 82.4 100.6 
			 Norfolk 107.1 131.3 110.6 138.3 
			 Northamptonshire 82.3 110.3 88.3 114.8 
			 North Yorkshire 89.2 127.6 95.9 132.2 
			 Nottinghamshire 154.9 177.6 164.6 184.7 
			 Staffordshire 136.6 170.9 144.6 176.1 
			 Suffolk 83.2 101.9 84.9 106.9 
			 Surrey 114.3 180.6 125.6 191.5 
			 Sussex 198.9 237.1 210.3 245.1 
			 Thames Valley 270.7 344.4 280.9 356.1 
			 Warwickshire 63.6 80.1 65.2 85.4 
			 West Mercia 138.0 184.3 149.3 190.7 
			 Wiltshire 76.2 96.0 80.3 99.3 
			 Greater Manchester 505.9 524.1 534.8 544.9 
			 Merseyside 313.2 307.3 324.3 317.1 
			 Northumbria 277.3 270.1 292.9 277.8 
			 South Yorkshire 222.8 239.6 232.0 246.6 
			 West Midlands 519.5 521.8 539.9 543.4 
			 West Yorkshire 373.3 396.0 396.1 411.0 
			 Metropolitan 2,474.2 2,532.7 2,559.1 2,595.0 
			 City of London 119.2 62.9 126.2 64.1 
			 Dyfed-Powys 65.2 83.6 70.9 87.0 
			 Gwent 88.4 110.7 94.5 114.3 
			 North Wales 96.9 124.8 100.5 129.4 
			 South Wales 206.7 232.1 212.3 240.3 
			 (1) Total grants comprises: General Grant and specific resource grants and capital provision. (2) Source: Communities and Local Government - English Police Authorities/ Welsh Assembly GovernmentWelsh police authorities

Police: Helicopters

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police helicopters in England were shared with local ambulance services in 2007-08.

Vernon Coaker: In 2007-08 there were two shared Police/Air Ambulance operations in England, based at Devizes in Wiltshire and at Shoreham in Sussex, operated by Wiltshire Constabulary and Sussex Police respectively.

Police: Licensing Act 2003

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effects of the implementation of the Licensing Act 2003 on the shift patterns of police forces in  (a) Lancashire and  (b) England and Wales.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 2 February 2009
	The shift patterns of police officers is an operational matter, and as such is for the chief constable to determine. However, the Government published a review of the Licensing Act 2003 in March 2008 which revealed a mixed picture in terms of its impact. The change in opening hours has not led to the widespread problems some people feared. Overall, crime and alcohol consumption are down, but there has been a small increase in alcohol-related violence in the early hours of the morning and some communities have seen a rise in disorder. Our main conclusion is that people are using the freedoms, but people are not sufficiently using the considerable powers granted by the Act to tackle problems, and that there is a need to rebalance action towards enforcement and crack down on irresponsible behaviour.
	Additionally, we have introduced legislation for a new, mandatory code of practice. This will contain some compulsory national conditions, banning the most irresponsible practices and promotions which encourage people to drink excessively, or promote a binge-drinking culture. This will not affect the majority of businesses, small or large, who behave responsiblybut will target those that do not.
	Further, the Government are funding a 4.5 million enforcement campaign, in addition to existing resources from the police, local authorities and others, focused on 40-50 priority areas and led by ACPO Commander Simon O'Brien. There is additional funding for the 20 priority PCT areas, and a 10 million investment in national awareness campaigns.

Police: North Yorkshire

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has for the funding of policing in North Yorkshire; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The Police Funding Settlement 2009-10 was debated and approved on 4 February and was broadly unchanged from that announced in December 2007.
	In 2009-10, North Yorkshire police authority will receive 76.7 million in general grants, an increase of 2.5 per cent. (+1.9 million) over 2008-09. North Yorkshire benefits from the decision to provide a funding floor of 2.5 per cent.; it would have received 5.8 million less if the funding formula had been strictly applied. In addition to general grant, North Yorkshire will also receive an estimated 11.2 million from a range of other Government funding.
	A review of the funding formula for the next CSR period (2011-12 to 2013-14) is currently taking place with the Police Allocation Formula Working Group (PAFWG) continuing to meet throughout 2009 and early 2010. Following consultation, the formula will be revised as appropriate.

Police: Olympic Games 2012

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when police forces will receive notification from the Olympic Delivery Authority of their funding entitlement for policing the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Vernon Coaker: Work is continuing to finalise the strategy and plans for the security of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Home Office has provided funding to police forces in 2007-08 and 2008-09 to enable them to plan and prepare for the Games. It will continue to make available funding as necessary. Any decisions will need to take account of the operational needs of the police and other security agencies, affordability within the total funding envelope and the need to secure value for money.

Police: Standards

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 26 January 2009,  Official Report, column 98W, on police: standards, what targets have been removed; and on what date each ceased to have effect.

Jacqui Smith: The Government have been clarifying the performance management framework for the police for some time, to help the police focus more effectively on the issues that concern the public. The top down numerical target which concerned frontline officers the mostto increase the total number of offences brought to justice from the 2004 Public Service Agreements (PSAs)ceased to have effect at the end of 2007-08. The Policing Green Paper made further significant changes as part of its broader proposals for reforming the relationship between the police service, the public and the Home Office. In particular, the Government committed to a single top down target for police forceson improving public confidence.
	Centrally set efficiency and productivity targets for individual forces and authorities ceased to have effect from the publication of the Policing Green Paper (17 July 2008). Volume and value targets on cash forfeiture orders also ceased to have effect on that date. Centrally set 10-year race employment targets relating to the recruitment, retention and progression of black and minority ethnic police officers and staff come to an end on 31 March 2009, when a final report against a centrally set progression target will also be made.
	Centrally set multi-agency targets for local criminal justice boards (LCJBs, on which police forces are members alongside other agencies) on enforcement (including fail to appear (FTA) warrant enforcement, community penalty breach enforcement and licence recall) and asset recovery (specifically on obtaining and enforcing confiscation orders) cease from April 2009. The Persistent Young Offenders (PYO) Pledge ended on 31 December 2008.
	All of this demonstrates how we are complying with our commitment in the Green Paper to neither set nor maintain top down numerical targets for individual police forces with the exception of oneto raise public confidence that their local crime and antisocial behaviour priorities are being addressed.

Powers of Entry

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance her Department has issued to public authorities with powers of entry on the manner in which those powers should be exercised in respect of forced entry.

Vernon Coaker: Section 67(9) of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984 requires that persons other than police officers charged with the duty of investigating offences or charging offenders shall have regard to the relevant provisions of the PACE code of practice. PACE code B on searching premises and seizing property requires that reasonable and proportionate force may be used if necessary to enter premises if the person in charge of the search is satisfied the premises are those specified in any warrant or in the exercise of statutory powers and if the occupier or any other person entitled to grant access has refused entry; it is impossible to communicate with the occupier or any other person entitled to grant access; the person entitled to grant access is absent; or there are reasonable grounds to believe that alerting the occupier or any other person entitled to grant access would frustrate the object of the search or endanger those exercising the search or others.

Tackling Knives Action Programme

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of additional  (a) prosecutions and  (b) convictions which have taken place as a consequence of the Tackling Knives Action Programme (TKAP) in each of the 10 TKAP areas.

Jacqui Smith: Management information being used to monitor TKAP suggests that in the period June to November 2008 there were 815 more convictions for possession of a knife or offensive weapon in the 10 TKAP areas than in the same period of 2007. This figure is provisional.
	Figures for prosecutions are published annually. The latest available figures are for 2007 (prior to the establishment of the Tackling Knives Action Programme). Figures for 2008 will be released in autumn 2009.

Terrorism: Deportation

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made by the Government in its policy of seeking to persuade the European Court of Human Rights to reconsider its jurisprudence on the deportation of terrorist suspects in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 9 February 2009
	The Government's submissions on this point were considered by the Grand Chamber of the Court in the context of the case of Saadi  v. Italy. In its judgment (given on 28 February 2008), the Court rejected the Government's arguments and reaffirmed the existing article 3 case law as set out in Chahal  v. the UK.

UK Border Agency: Correspondence

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when a reply will be sent to the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood's letter of 16 December 2008 to the UK Border Agency on behalf of Said Bouzinab (Home Office reference B493071, acknowledgement reference B41558/8).

Phil Woolas: The regional director for the North West, Gill Mortlock, wrote to my right hon. Friend on 5 February 2009.

Work Permits

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many work permits have been issued to non-EU nationals in each of the last 10 years.

Jacqui Smith: The following table shows the number of work permit applications for non-EU workers approved in each of the last 10 years.
	
		
			  Individual approved work permit applications for the period 1 January 1999 to 31 December 2008 
			   Number 
			 1999 56,190 
			 2000 82,730 
			 2001 113,460 
			 2002 127,360 
			 2003 133,170 
			 2004 154,295 
			 2005 136,900 
			 2006 144,855 
			 2007 128,210 
			 2008 121,015 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to nearest five. 2. The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. 
		
	
	The figures do not equate to the number of individual nationals who were granted permits because they include those applications approved to extend or amend an existing permit or where the individual has moved to another job with a different employer. Not all those who were granted a permit took up the job and some may have been refused entry clearance or further leave to remain.

Work Permits

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for a work permit on the basis of an intra company transfer in respect of non-UK nations were  (a) made and  (b) granted in each of the last (i) five years and (ii) four quarters.

Phil Woolas: The following table shows the number of work permit applications made and approved for Intra-Company Transfers in each of the last five years and each of the last four quarters.
	
		
			  Number of individual work permit intra-company transfer applications made and approved for the period 1 January 2004  to  31 December 2008 
			   2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  Total 
			 Applications Approved 32,770 33,745 43,050 48,735 48,010 206,305 
			 Applications Made 33,645 34,680 43,950 50,230 49,710 212,215 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of individual work permit intra-company transfer applications made and approved for each quarter during the period 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2008 
			   January to March  April to June  July to September  October to December  Total 
			 Applications Approved 11,870 12,930 14,135 9,080 48,010 
			 Applications Made 12,380 13,385 14,565 9,385 49,710 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to nearest 5. 2. Because of rounding, figures may not add up to totals shown. 3.  Caveats: The figures do not equate to the number of individual nationals who were granted permits because they include those applications approved to extend or amend an existing permit or where the individual has moved to another job with a different employer. Not all those who were granted a permit took up the job and some may have been refused entry clearance or further leave to remain. 
		
	
	The figures quoted are not provided under national statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.

Work Permits

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many companies obtained a grant for an intra company transfer in each of the last five years, broken down by industry sector.

Phil Woolas: The following table shows the number of companies who obtained an approval for an intra-company transfer in each of the last five years, broken down by industry sector.
	Number of companies who obtained an approval for an intra-company transfer application for the period 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2008
	
		
			  Industry Name  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  Total 
			 Admin, Bus and Man Services 1,470 1,325 1,395 1,490 1,485 4,105 
			 Agriculture Activities 15 15 15 15 20 60 
			 Computer Services 820 760 820 860 820 2,195 
			 Construction and Land Serv 155 145 170 165 185 465 
			 Education and Cultural Act. 80 85 85 85 80 260 
			 Ent and Leisure Services 90 90 105 100 95 320 
			 Extraction Industries 125 125 120 140 160 330 
			 Financial Services 670 635 720 810 800 1,865 
			 Fish Processing SBS (1) 0 0 0 0 (1) 
			 Government 10 10 10 5 10 30 
			 Health and Medical Services 160 160 165 165 175 545 
			 HospitalitySBS (1) 5 (1) 0 0 5 
			 Hospitality and Catering 100 85 90 80 60 265 
			 Law Related Services 80 85 100 110 100 210 
			 Manufacturing 645 620 600 585 645 1,730 
			 Meat Processing SBS 0 0 0 (1) 0 (1) 
			 Other Food Processing SBS 0 (1) (1) 0 5 5 
			 Real Est and Prop Services 15 20 25 40 25 85 
			 Retail and Related Services 240 225 230 225 235 720 
			 Secur and Protect Services 20 20 20 25 15 70 
			 Sporting Activities 5 5 5 5 5 15 
			 Telecommunications 135 135 120 160 150 395 
			 Transport 190 170 175 180 190 510 
			 UtilitiesGas Electricity Water 90 90 110 120 140 320 
			 Total 4,860 4,595 4,815 5,080 5,105 13,515 
			 (1 )Indicates 1 or 2.  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to nearest 5.  2. Because of rounding, figures may not add up to totals shown 3. The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Departmental Public Relations

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what the cost of the Government Equalities Office's contracts with public relations consultancies was since it was established.

Maria Eagle: Since the Government Equalities Office was established on 12 October 2007 some 214,000 has been spent on such contracts.

Departmental Special Advisers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many full-time equivalent staff in the Government Equalities Office provide assistance to special advisers; and what the cost of employing such staff was in each year since the Office was established.

Maria Eagle: One officer has worked full-time alongside the Minister for Women's special adviser. The Government Equalities Office was established on 12 October 2007 and in financial year 2007-08 the costs of this arrangement were some 12,000. Estimated costs for financial year 2008-09 are 30,000.

Departmental Temporary Employment

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality from which companies the Government Equalities Office has sourced temporary staff since it was established; and what the value of contracts with each such company has been.

Maria Eagle: Since its establishment on 12 October 2007, the Government Equalities Office has employed temporary staff from the following companies:
	
		
			  Company  Total value of contract  (  ) 
			  Financial Year 2007-08  
			 Adecco 36,438 
			 Brook Street 41,499 
			 COI 20,110 
			 Reed 18,485 
			 Michael Page 15,012 
			 Total 131,544 
			   
			  Financial Year  2008-09  
			 Adecco 51,794 
			 Brook Street 86,468 
			 COI 84,083 
			 Morgan Hunt 70,012 
			 Reed 113,627 
			 Total 405,984

Equality: Regional Planning and Development

Eric Pickles: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what funding  (a) the Government Equalities Office and  (b) the Equality and Human Rights Commission has given to regional equality and diversity partnerships to date.

Maria Eagle: (a) The Government Equalities Office has made no such payments.
	 (b) The Equality and Human Rights Commission has to date funded the Greater Manchester centre for voluntary organisation (GMCVO) and the Regional Action Involvement South East (RAISE). Both organisations work to develop equality and diversity partnerships at regional level. The GMCVO collaborates with and assists organisations that work across all the mandate areas (sometimes known as equality strands). The RAISE is actively consulting upon the viability of a south-east regional equalities network.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Devolution

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will place in the Library a copy of the most recent guidance issued by the Cabinet Secretary on raising awareness of devolution among civil servants.

Tom Watson: I have placed in the Library a copy of 'Working with the devolved administrations: Guidance for UK Government Departments', issued to Departments by the Cabinet Secretary last July. The guidance is publicly available on the Cabinet Office devolution website:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/devolution

Unemployment

James Clappison: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how the UK ranks against other EU member states in terms of  (a) the change in the rate of unemployment and  (b) the change in the rate of unemployment for 16 to 24 year olds in the last year for which figures are available.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, Dated February 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how the UK ranks against other EU member states in terms of (a) the change in the rate of unemployment and (b) the change in the rate of unemployment for 16 to 24 year olds in the last year for which figures are available. (254489)
	Comparable unemployment rates for EU Member States are estimated and published by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, using data derived from the Labour Force Survey in each country. The latest quarterly estimates and annual changes are provided in the attached two tables. Countries are ranked in order of the size of the annual change in each case.
	The Eurostat definition of unemployed persons includes those aged 15. Estimates excluding 15 year olds are not readily available for most countries. Therefore the figures provided include those aged 15 for all countries except the UK and Spain.
	
		
			  Unemployment rates, by EU member state and age , s easonally adjusted 
			  Table 1: People aged 15 to 74( 1) , ranked in order of change on year 
			  Country  Latest period   Unemployment rate( 2 ) (percentage)  Change on year (percentage points) 
			 Spain Q4 2008 13.7 5.1 
			 Estonia Q4 2008 8.5 4.4 
			 Latvia Q4 2008 9.3 3.8 
			 Ireland Q4 2008 7.8 3.1 
			 Lithuania Q4 2008 7.2 3.0 
			 Denmark Q4 2008 4.2 0.9 
			 Sweden Q4 2008 6.8 0.9 
			 Luxembourg Q4 2008 4.7 0.6 
			  United Kingdom  Q3  2008  5.8  0.6 
			 Italy Q3 2008 6.7 0.5 
			 Hungary Q4 2008 8.2 0.5 
			 Cyprus Q4 2008 4.0 0.2 
			 France Q4 2008 8.0 0.2 
			 Portugal Q4 2008 7.9 0.1 
			 Belgium Q4 2008 7.1 0.0 
			 Finland Q4 2008 6.5 -0.1 
			 Netherlands Q4 2008 2.8 -0.1 
			 Austria Q4 2008 3.8 -0.3 
			 Czech Republic Q4 2008 4.5 -0.3 
			 Malta Q4 2008 5.8 -0.3 
			 Slovenia Q4 2008 4.3 -0.3 
			 Romania Q3 2008 5.8 -0.6 
			 Greece Q3 2008 7.5 -0.7 
			 Germany Q4 2008 7.2 -0.8 
			 Bulgaria Q4 2008 5.3 -0.9 
			 Slovakia Q4 2008 9.2 -1.4 
			 Poland Q4 2008 6.5 -2.0 
			 (1) People aged 16 to 74 for the UK and Spain. (2) The unemployment rate is the number of people unemployed as a percentage of the total number of people employed and unemployed.  Source: Eurostat 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: People aged 15 to  24( 1) , ranked in order of change on year 
			  Country  Latest period   Unemployment rate( 2)  (percentage)  Change on year (percentage points) 
			 Estonia Q4 2008 21.9 14.4 
			 Lithuania Q4 2008 18.1 10.7 
			 Spain Q4 2008 28.7 9.9 
			 Ireland Q4 2008 17.7 8.3 
			 Latvia Q4 2008 16.7 8.1 
			 Denmark Q4 2008 10.5 4.2 
			 Sweden Q4 2008 22.1 3.3 
			 France Q4 2008 20.8 2.7 
			 Hungary Q4 2008 21.6 2.2 
			 Czech Republic Q4 2008 10.9 1.8 
			 Luxembourg Q4 2008 17.1 1.7 
			 Slovakia Q4 2008 20.9 1.4 
			  United Kingdom  Q3  2008  15.3  1.0 
			 Finland Q4 2008 17.0 0.8 
			 Cyprus Q4 2008 10.3 0.5 
			 Italy Q3 2008 20.6 0.4 
			 Netherlands Q4 2008 5.4 0.0 
			 Portugal Q4 2008 16.2 0.0 
			 Slovenia Q4 2008 11.5 0.0 
			 Belgium Q4 2008 18.0 -0.2 
			 Malta Q4 2008 11.9 -0.7 
			 Greece Q3 2008 21.9 -0.8 
			 Austria Q4 2008 7.0 -0.9 
			 Germany Q4 2008 9.8 -1.0 
			 Romania Q3 2008 18.9 -1.5 
			 Poland Q4 2008 17.1 -1.7 
			 Bulgaria Q4 2008 11.7 -3.0 
			 (1) People aged 16 to 24 for the UK and Spain. (2) The unemployment rate is the number of people unemployed as a percentage of the total number of people employed and unemployed.  Source: Eurostat

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Allotments

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what requirements there are upon local authorities to provide allotments for the use of local residents.

Iain Wright: Under the Smallholdings and Allotments Act 1908, there is a duty on local authorities (except for inner London boroughs) to provide allotments where there is demand for them in their area. If a local authority is of the opinion that there is such a demand, they are required to provide a sufficient number of allotments for letting to persons residing in the area who want them.
	Where representations have been received by any six registered parliamentary electors or persons liable to pay council tax, it is the duty of local authorities to take those representations into consideration when assessing demand.

Apprentices

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 2 June 2008,  Official Report, column 614W, on apprentices, what progress has been made on increasing the number of apprentices in her Department; and how many apprentices her Department employs.

Sadiq Khan: Within CLG, eight members of staff are currently undertaking apprenticeships as part of the Government Skill's Apprenticeship Pathfinder scheme.
	Although none of our agencies or Government Offices are currently putting staff forward for apprenticeships, the GOs are developing policy on introducing apprenticeships across the whole GO Network.

Council Housing: Standards

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the likelihood of all council housing meeting the Decent Homes Standard by 2010.

Iain Wright: On 22 January 2008 we published the Local Authority Housing Statistics, England 2007-08. This reported that local authorities reported that 150,000 dwellings will remain non-decent by 1 April 2011.

Council Tax

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Onger of 2 June 2008,  Official Report, column 533W, on council tax, what methodology her Department used to calculate the average parish council tax precept of 45 on Band D, as referred to in the answer of 14 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1169W, on council tax; and if she will use the same methodology to calculate a figure for 2008-09.

John Healey: The methodology used to estimate the average Band D parish council tax precept is based on assumptions set out in local government financial statistics England, as referred to in the answer of 2 June 2008.
	I refer the hon. Member to my answer given to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 2 February 2009,  Official Report, column 972W, in respect of 2008-09.

Departmental Data Protection

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether any datasets held by her Department and its agencies have been processed by contractors operating outside the European economic area in the last three years.

Sadiq Khan: The Department's agencies (the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, the Fire Service College and the Planning Inspectorate) do not have datasets that have been processed by contractors operating outside the European economic area. The Department does hold information on personal data falling into that category for 2008 and has one dataset backed-up in the USA. Information on non-personal datasets or for the years 2006 and 2007 is not held centrally and cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate costs.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff in her Department were disciplined for  (a) bullying and  (b) harassment of colleagues in each of the last three years.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Communities and Local Government have had no staff who have been disciplined for  (a) bullying and  (b) harassment of colleagues in the last three years.

Departmental Foreign Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) EU foreign nationals and  (b) non-EU foreign nationals are employed by her Department.

Sadiq Khan: This information is not retained centrally by Communities and Local Government in a form that can be disaggregated without a disproportionate cost.

Departmental Pensions

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department is taking to advise staff of pension options available to them in relation to added years or additional voluntary contributions.

Sadiq Khan: Members of the principal civil service pension scheme receive an annual benefit statement showing the pension built up to date, and also a projection of their pension on retirement if they continue in service to scheme pension age. The benefit statement prompts the member to consider boosting their pension and provides details of the civil service pensions website where staff can obtain further information, including options for making additional voluntary contributions and a calculator to work out costs for added pension (previously added years).
	New entrants are informed of pension options in the employment offer and are provided with a pension information pack.
	Cabinet Office provides leaflets that explain added pension and additional voluntary contributions for members. The information is also available in scheme booklets. These are available on the civil service pensions website or on request from the member's pension administrator.
	The departmental staff handbook also lists pension publications available on the civil service pensions website and provides contact details for the Department's pension provider where further pension advice can be obtained.
	The Department's pension provider has a dedicated helpline option for staff wishing to seek advice on topping up pensions and an additional leaflet they issue on request.
	From time to time the Department places news items relating to different aspects of the civil service pension scheme on the intranet. In June 2007 and November 2007 news items were made announcing the launch of the new added pension scheme from 1 March 2008.

Departmental Procurement

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 304W, on departmental procurement, what the purpose of the expenditure on LLM Communications was; and what goods or services were purchased.

Sadiq Khan: LLM Communications were engaged to support regional housing debates.

Departmental Procurement

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Beckenham of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 303W, on departmental procurement, what the purpose was of the expenditure incurred by the Deputy Prime Minister's Office in respect of  (a) Oddbins,  (b) BMI Health Screening,  (c) RAF Northolt,  (d) Ecovert FM Ltd. and  (e) Apollo Photographers Ltd.

Sadiq Khan: Oddbins sold beverages, BMI Health Screening arranged vaccinations for officials to travel abroad on business, RAF Northolt is the base of 32 Squadron which recharges for flights used on official travel, Ecovert FM was responsible for building services where DPMO was located, and Apollo were photographers employed to help with the production of DPMO's annual report. All DPMO expenditure was made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in Government Accounting and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Departmental Procurement

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 23 June 2008,  Official Report, column 24W, on departmental procurement, how much expenditure was incurred on each organisation listed in the chart in 2007-08, based on purchase order data held in the departmental financial system.

Sadiq Khan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Beckenham (Mrs. Lait) on 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 303W.

Departmental Public Appointments

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which of the public appointments for which her Department is responsible are due to be ( a) renewed and  (b) filled in the next 24 months; what the (i) remit, (ii) salary, (iii) political restriction, (iv) eligibility requirement and (v) timetable for each appointment is; and what records her Department keeps in respect of such appointments.

Sadiq Khan: Information on public appointments made by the Department is published in the Department's Public Bodies Annual Report which is available on the Department's website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/publicbodies2008
	More detailed information about individual appointments is set out in the relevant body's annual report. Vacancies may be advertised on the Cabinet Office Public Appointments website at:
	www.publicappointments.gov.uk
	The process for making a public appointment, including guidance on political activity and eligibility criteria, follows the Cabinet Office publication ''Making and Managing Public Appointments'. For appointments regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments, the appointments process also complies with the 'Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies'. Copies are in the Libraries of the House.

Empty Property: Non-Domestic Rates

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether blank advertising hoardings qualify for the empty property business rate relief for rateable values under 15,000.

John Healey: Empty property rates apply where a property is unoccupied and those properties that are not liable for empty property rates are set out in section 4 of the Non-Domestic Rating (Unoccupied Property) (England) Regulations 2008.

EU Grants and Loans

Peter Kilfoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons her Department declined to accept an extension on spending deadlines for England for European structural funding in England; what estimate she has made of the amount of money under such structural funding provisions for England unspent as at 31 December 2008; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: Government took into account views from the regions, including on the extent to which any additional resources resulting from programme extension could be used given the lack of flexibility in the EC's offer of extension, and decided that there was insufficient benefit to justify changing existing spending plans.
	The 2000-06 ERDF programmes have so far recorded spend of over 5 billion. There are over 2,900 ERDF grant claims being processed in our systems and more are expected as projects make their final claims for grant. Until these claims are processed and paid we will not have a final spend position but expect it to show successful take up of the available fundsat least equal to previous rounds of ERDF.

Fire Services: Consultants

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department expects to spend on consultancy services for FireControl in  (a) 2009-10,  (b) 2010-11 and  (c) 2011-12.

Sadiq Khan: National project costs are set out in the 'FireControl Business Case Part 2The National Case', copies of which are available in the House Library. The Department is expecting to spend the following on consultancy services:
	
		
			million 
			 2009-10 5.3 
			 2010-11 3.4 
			 2011-12 2.3 
			 Total 11.0

Fire Services: Finance

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what  (a) grant allocations and  (b) other funding her Department (i) has paid and (ii) plans to pay to each fire authority in each region during each year of the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review period.

Sadiq Khan: A table giving details of grant allocations for each fire and rescue authority for the period in question, where figures are available has been deposited in the Library.

Housing: Standards

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects the outcomes from the next English House Condition Survey to be published.

Iain Wright: The 2007 English House Condition Survey Headline Report was published on 29 January 2009. The 2007 annual report is due to be published in summer 2009.

Kent

Stephen Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much  (a) revenue support,  (b) capital grant and  (c) supported borrowing funding central Government has paid to (i) Kent County Council, (ii) Thanet District Council and (iii) Dover District Council in 2008-09; and how much is planned in each case for 2009-10.

Sadiq Khan: The following tables set out the amounts of  (a) revenue payments  (b) capital grants which this Department plans to make (i) Kent county council, (ii) Thanet district council and (iii) Dover district council in 2008- 09 and 2009-10.
	
		
			  Financial year 2008-09 
			   million 
			   Kent CC  Thanet DC  Dover DC  Total 
			  Revenue 
			 Formula grants 259.366 13.021 10.113 282.500 
			 Other grants and payments 96.530 4.491 0.550 101.571 
			  
			  Capital 4.793 5.130 0.387 10.310 
		
	
	
		
			  Financial year  2009-10 
			   million 
			   Kent CC  Thanet DC  Dover DC  Total 
			  Revenue 267.224 13.163 10.164 290.55 
			 Formula grants 91.822 3.688 0.493 96.003 
			 Other grants and payments 
			  
			  Capital 10.274 0.408 1.851 12.533 
		
	
	No supported borrowing would be offered by this Department in 2008-09 and 2009-10.

Local Government

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government have taken to assist local authorities during the economic downturn.

John Healey: I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Plymouth, Sutton (Linda Gilroy) on 20 January 2009,  Official Report, column 1270W.

Local Government Finance: Energy

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment her Department has made of the effects of energy prices on local authority costs.

John Healey: The Department has not made an assessment of the effects of energy prices on local authority costs. However, a recent report by the Audit Commission Crunch Time? The Impact of the Economic Downturn on Local Government Finances. identified expenditure on gas, electricity, fuel and food as areas which have seen the highest level of inflation in council expenditure. However, it also found that this made up less than 2 per cent. of total local authority spending and that inflation was now reducing, easing some of the in-year pressures. It reported that fuel prices are now lower than they were in April 2008. The Government expect the significant fall in the price of crude oil to feed into the cost of other goods and to impact on energy bills in due course.

Minister for Yorkshire and the Humber: Lloyds TSB

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of  (a) 4 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1293W, on Minister for Yorkshire and the Humber: Lloyds TSB and  (b) 29 January 2009,  Official Report, column 779W, on Lloyds TSB, for what reasons a copy of the minutes of the 14 January meeting was deposited in the Library contrary to normal practice; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: Exceptionally, it was thought helpful to deposit a brief summary (but not the minutes as much of the discussion on 14 January was commercially confidential).

Natural Gas: Planning Permission

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what proposals for gas storage facilities have  (a) been granted planning permission and  (b) have had planning permission rejected in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what proposals for gas storage facilities have been made in respect of which planning permission is still being considered.

Iain Wright: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not hold this information centrally.

Non-Domestic Rates: Ports

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what qualifying conditions apply for ports to be eligible to pay retrospective business rates back over time.

John Healey: I laid the regulations that set out the qualifying conditions before Parliament on 10 February 2009.

Non-Domestic Rates: Ports

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the previous rating system for port businesses ended; and how much was paid under this system by Associated British Ports in  (a) Hull,  (b) Grimsby,  (c) Immingham and  (d) Goole for (i) 2000 to 2005 and (ii) 2005 to 2008.

John Healey: Prescription rating in ports ended in March 2005, but prescription applied only to the port operator. Separate properties within ports have always been separately liable for business rates and prior to the ports review around 1,600 were so listed and liable.
	We do not hold information for the amount of rates paid by individual businesses, as the calculation of business rates, taking into account any reliefs due, is a matter for the local authority.
	However, the 2005 lists rateable values for the named ports are:
	
		
			   
			  Port  2005 Rating list (before review)  2005 Rating list (post review)  Effective date 
			 Hull 9,000,000 3,100,000 1 April 2005 
			 Grimsby 1,350,000 500,000 1 April 2005 
			 Immingham 17,930,000 11,000,000 1 April 2005 
			 Goole 940,000 205,000 1 April 2005 
		
	
	The rateable values under the 2000 rating lists in some cases varied from year to year, details can be found on the Valuation Office website at:
	www.voa.gov.uk.

Non-Domestic Rates: Ports

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the Valuation Office Agency (VOA)  (a) assessed port businesses for non-business rates and  (b) notified the businesses concerned; and what consultations the VOA had with port businesses in 2005.

John Healey: The date from which the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) assessed port businesses for non-domestic business rates and the date from which the businesses concerned were notified of their assessments varies according to the facts and circumstances of each property. Such information could be assembled only at disproportionate cost.
	Prior to publication of the 2005 lists discussions were held with port operators on assessment levels, on the basis of information supplied to the VOA by them.

Non-Domestic Rates: Ports

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what date individual rating valuations of port businesses began to apply.

John Healey: Separately occupied properties within ports have always been liable to be rated separately in the same way as separately occupied property situated outside a port. The effective date applicable to an individual rating valuation is governed by statutory regulations.

Non-Domestic Rates: Ports

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment was made by her Department and its predecessor of the individual rating valuations of port businesses in 2005; and how these valuations were issued.

John Healey: Rateable values are assessed independently by the Valuation Office Agency, and this Department is not involved in the process.

Planning Permission: Parking

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what changes have been made to maximum parking standards for  (a) residential and  (b) non-residential development since 1997.

Iain Wright: In exercising their planning functions local planning authorities are required to have regard to the Government's overarching planning policy on parking which is set out in Planning Policy Guidance note 13: 'Transport' (2001), one of the key objectives of which is to reduce the need to travel, especially by car. PPG13 is clear that local authority policies in preparing their development plans should set maximum levels of parking for broad classes of development, including residential and non-residential development, and that there should be no minimum standards for development, other than parking for disabled people.
	In relation to residential development, Planning Policy Guidance note 3: 'Housing' (2000) advised that car parking standards that resulted in development with more than 1.5 off-street car parking spaces across a local authority area on average were unlikely to reflect the Government's emphasis on securing sustainable residential environments. This advice has subsequently being replaced by Planning Policy Statement 3: 'Housing' (2006), which gives local planning authorities the flexibility, consistent with the objectives of PPG13, to set their own residential parking policies taking account of the expected levels of car ownership, the importance of promoting good design and the need to use land efficiently.
	In terms of non-residential development, PPG13 sets out national maximum car parking standards. Again, within the context of reducing the need to travel by car required by PPG13, draft PPS4: 'Planning for Sustainable Economic Development' (2007) proposes to devolve responsibility for setting non-residential car parking standards to local authorities so that they can reflect local circumstances. We are currently working to finalise the policy.

Pollution

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield of 1 February 2008,  Official Report, column 696W, on pollution, whether the costs to local authorities under the landfill tax escalator and Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme are  (a) passed on to the polluter and  (b) compensated by central government under the new burden principles.

Jane Kennedy: I have been asked to reply.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Wentworth (John Healey) on 1 February 2008,  Official Report, column 696W.

Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she has taken to encourage private sector organisations to participate in the Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative.

Jane Kennedy: I have been asked to reply.
	Since its launch in 2003, the Government's Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative (PSFPI) has highlighted practical ways in which private sector organisations can help to deliver its objectives. Among the steps taken are the holding of national and regional conferences for suppliers, publication of guidance, funding of regional projects to develop local supply chains and direct engagement with key stakeholders such as the foodservice companies and the British Hospitality Association. Further information can be found on the PSFPI website at:
	www.defra.gov.uk/farm/policy/sustain/procurement/awareness.htm.

Renewable Energy: Planning Permission

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent representations she has received on Veolia's planning application for an energy from waste plant at the site of the former Rufford Colliery, Rainworth, Nottinghamshire; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: In addition to my hon. Friend, my hon. Friend the Member for Mansfield (Mr. Meale), has requested that the planning application be called in for the Secretary of State's own determination. The Secretary of State has also received representations from three county councillors, one district councillor, Newark and Sherwood district council, a campaign group called PAIN (People Against Incineration) plus 12 members of the public, asking that the application be called in.
	The case is currently under consideration by the Secretary of State. Therefore I cannot make any statement on the case. A decision will be issued as soon as possible.

Renewable Energy: Planning Permission

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons she decided to apply the recovery procedure to the three wind farm applications in the borough of Berwick-upon-Tweed on 26 August 2008.

Iain Wright: The reason for recovery was due to the proposals being of major significance for the delivery of the Government's climate change programme and energy policies.

Social Rented Housing: Standards

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate her Department has made of the number of social rented homes which did not meet the Decent Homes standard at the latest date for which figures are available; and when she expects the remainder of the additional 200 million of funding for the Decent Homes programme to have been spent.

Iain Wright: Landlord statistical returns show that at 1 April 2008 there were 714,000 social homes that did not meet the decent homes standard which represents 18 per cent. of the social housing stock,
	www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/table119.xls.
	In the pre-Budget report we announced that we would bring forward from 2010-11 250 million to sustain and accelerate the Decent Homes programme. We expect all this money to have been spent by the end of March 2010.

Waste Disposal: Fees and Charges

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 29 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1149W, on non-domestic rates, whether the domestic or composite hereditament premises of diplomatic missions will have liability for charges for the collection of household waste under proposed pilot schemes.

Jane Kennedy: I have been asked to reply.
	Participation in a waste incentives scheme by diplomatic and consular agents would be on a voluntary basis.

HEALTH

Alcoholic Drinks: Health Education

Bill Etherington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps have been taken to increase awareness of safe drinking levels and the health risks associated with alcohol dependency amongst  (a) adults aged over 45 years and  (b) young people under 18 years living in the North East.

Dawn Primarolo: It is the responsibility of primary care trusts (PCTs) to take forward initiatives and campaigns to increase awareness of lower risk drinking levels and the health risks associated with alcohol dependency in their areas. Information on action taken in the North East can be obtained from PCTs across the North East directly.
	However, in May 2008 the Department launched a national communications campaign to improve the public's understanding of units of alcohol. The campaign messages were delivered across television, newspapers, outdoor, radio and on-line channels. Phase one focused on improving people's knowledge of how many units of alcohol are in the alcoholic drinks they consume, while phase two focused on improving people's understanding of the link between their alcohol consumption and their health.
	Initial assessment of the campaign shows that there is an increased agreement, from 77-82 per cent. that we tend to drink more than is good for us. This has clearly been influenced by the campaign as for those aware of the campaign this figure rises to 85 per cent., while for those not aware of the campaign this figure is 72 per cent.
	The second wave of campaign tracking will be available shortly and may provide more information on how the campaign has improved the public's understanding of alcohol related health risks.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many admissions of  (a) males and  (b) females in each age group via accident and emergency to NHS hospitals in each region for alcohol-related conditions there were in 2007-08.

Dawn Primarolo: Data for admitted patients for 2007-08 have not yet been released but should be available next month. The Department will arrange for the information to be made available to the House at that time.

Alcoholism: Health Services

Bill Etherington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time was for  (a) adults and  (b) young people in each strategic health authority area to obtain (i) community-based and (ii) in-patient services to reduce severe alcohol dependency in the latest period for which information is available.

Dawn Primarolo: Since 1 April 2008 the National Treatment Agency has collected data on individuals who receive specialist alcohol treatment through the National Alcohol Treatment Monitoring System. The first year's data is expected to be reported in October 2009, and will include information on waiting times.

Alcoholism: Health Services

Bill Etherington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many in-patient beds there are in each strategic health authority area for patients who require medical support and intervention to reduce severe alcohol dependency.

Dawn Primarolo: This information is not held centrally. It is the responsibility of primary care trusts (PCTs) and their partner agencies to make local commissioning decisions for alcohol treatment programmes based on their assessment of local need.

Ambulance Services: Yorkshire and the Humber

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the additional cost the Yorkshire Ambulance Service of the transfer of acute medical services and the cardiac monitoring unit from Bridlington to Scarborough hospital is estimated to be in the first year of operation at Scarborough.

Ann Keen: This information is not held centrally.
	The transfer of cardiac and acute medical admissions from the Bridlington and District hospital to the Scarborough hospital, which formed part of the proposals in the public consultation on the future of services at Bridlington hospital in 2006-07 has now been implemented in full.
	Costs incurred through the reconfiguration of services are the responsibility of the local national health service. It is for the Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust to ensure it provides appropriate services to patients in response to the agreed changes to services.

Benzodiazepines

Doug Naysmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy not to amend guidelines to doctors on the prescribing of benzodiazepines.

Phil Hope: In 1994, the Department issued copies of 'Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Benzodiazepine Dependence', published by the Mental Health Foundation, to all health authorities and recommended their use by general practitioners. The Department issued another publication in 1999 entitled, 'Drug misuse and dependenceguidelines on clinical management (1999)', which reiterates these messages. A copy of this publication has been placed in the Library. The British National Formulary is also an important source of guidance on the management of benzodiazepine dependence.
	The CMO Update 37, sent by the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of the Department of Health to all doctors in England, issued in January 2004, issued advice reminding doctors that benzodiazepines should only be prescribed for short-term treatment. A copy has been placed in the Library.
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence develops and publishes clinical guidelines and they may amend this advice in future in light of new evidence, but there are no current plans to do so.

Carers: Devon

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many adult social carers there were in Devon in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: The total number of adult social workers in Devon over the last 10 years has increased by 11 per cent. and the number in each year is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Devon 
			 1998 185 
			 1999 187 
			 2000 190 
			 2001 199 
			 2002 203 
			 2003 194 
			 2004 185 
			 2005 226 
			 2006 226 
			 2007 206 
			  Source:  SSDS001

Dementia: Coventry

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent steps the Government has taken to improve the provision of healthcare for people with dementia in Coventry.

Phil Hope: Dementia is one of the most important issues we face as the population ages. Around 570,000 people already have the condition in England and this number is set to double in the next 30 years, with the costs of dementia tripling. That is why the Department published the first National Dementia Strategy on 3 February 2009. A copy of the strategy has already been placed in the Library.
	The Department will be providing a nationwide regional support programme to work closely with the national health service and local authorities in implementing the strategy. This is set out in an implementation plan, which accompanied the strategy. We have recently appointed a team of deputy regional directors with backgrounds in both health and social care to provide the local support needed for implementation. We will also be working closely with regional partners, including strategic health authorities, Government offices and regional improvement and efficiency partners to ensure delivery of the strategy.

Dementia: Devon

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many respite beds for people diagnosed with dementia there were in Devon in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: This information is not held centrally.
	Better care for dementia sufferers and their carers is a key part of the National Dementia Strategy, which was published on 3 February 2009. A copy of the strategy has already been placed in the Library.

Dental Services

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the efficacy of allowing clinical dental technicians to provide dentures directly to members of the public;
	(2)  what guidance he has issued on the role of clinical dental technicians in the NHS;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the role of clinical dental technicians in improving oral health in England; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: Evidence from overseas countries like Canada, where clinical dental technicians (CDTs) have been able to work legally for much longer than in the United Kingdom, indicate that they can make a very worthwhile contribution to the treatment needs of patients with dentures.
	The General Dental Council (GDC) provided for the registration of CDTs with effect from July 2006 and so far, some 80 CDTs are registered with the GDC. It is too early to make a detailed assessment of their impact, but we are examining the role of CDTs in relation to national health service primary care dental services. Currently a primary care trust may contract with a registered CDT to provide NHS primary care dental services under the personal dental services regulations or with a CDT, working in partnership with a dentist, under the general dental services regulations.

Dental Services: Fees and Charges

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a copy of the methodology his Department used to calculate the amount dentists were paid per unit of dental activity at the point at which the new contract for NHS dentistry was introduced in 2006.

Ann Keen: This information is contained in the Department's paper 'NHS Primary Dental Care Services, England: Methodology for Determining Contract Values and Units of Dental Activity Requirements at the Introduction of the New Dental Service Contract on 1 April 2006' which has been placed in the Library.

Dental Services: Fees and Charges

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes his Department has made to the amount dentists are paid per unit of dental activity since the new contract for NHS dentistry was introduced in 2006.

Ann Keen: The Department does not determine the value of units of dental activity (UDAs). The Department determines the level of the annual uprating to be applied to all annual contract values for contracts in place on 1 April each year between primary care trusts (PCTs) and dental providers for the provision of primary dental care services, based on the recommendations of the independent Doctors' and Dentists' Review Body.
	Any changes in the level of services expected under the terms of those contracts, whether measured by a specified number of UDAs or other service measures, are a matter for local agreement between the individual PCT and dental provider. The overall value of new contracts for primary dental services awarded in-year, and the associated service levels, are determined locally by the individual PCT which commissions the services.

Dental Services: Prescriptions

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the net ingredient cost of prescriptions dispensed by dentists in  (a) Hemel Hempstead and  (b) Hertfordshire was in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many prescription items were dispensed by dentists in  (a) Hemel Hempstead and  (b) Hertfordshire in each year since 1997.

Ann Keen: Information is not available in the format requested. However, information on prescribing by dentists is available from the Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system. It is available only for England as a whole. It is available by calendar year from 2003.
	The number and net ingredient cost of prescriptions dispensed by dentists in each year is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Calendar year  Number of items (thousand)  Net ingredient cost (000) 
			 2007 4,569 10,657 
			 2006 4,481 10,078 
			 2005 4,651 9,186 
			 2004 4,706 9,154 
			 2003 4,768 9,231 
			  Notes: Definitions: 1. PCA Data: Prescription information is taken from the PCA system, supplied by the Prescription Services Division of the NHS Business Services Authority, and is based on a full analysis of all prescriptions dispensed in the community by: community pharmacists and appliance contractors; dispensing doctors; and prescriptions submitted by prescribing doctors for items personally administered in England. Also included are prescriptions written in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man but dispensed in England. The data do not cover drugs dispensed in hospitals, including mental health trusts, or private prescriptions. 2. The vast majority of these prescriptions are written by general medical practitioners in England; however, prescriptions written by nurses, dentists, other non-medical prescribers and hospital doctors are also included provided they were dispensed in the community. 3. The figures are taken from separate tables relating to prescribing by dentists only.  Source: Prescription Cost Analysis System

Departmental Plants

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on  (a) pot plants in 2008-09 to date and  (b) flowers in each of the last three years.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department is unable to provide the detailed breakdown of costs as requested.
	The Department has a contract with Resource FM to provide a cleaning, and landscaping service to the Department's buildings which includes provision of pot plants, flower displays and landscaping. This is a fixed annual cost.
	During the period April 2008 to February 2009 the cost of this service has been 15,269.64.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions were dispensed for subutex to persons held in prison in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Phil Hope: Specific information on the use of buprenorphine is not collected centrally.

Health Services: Elderly

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent steps the Government has taken to improve standards of geriatric medicine in Coventry.

Phil Hope: The Department's National Service Framework (NFS) for Older People in 2001 set out a 10 year strategy to improve services for older people, in all settings including in hospital.
	One of the key aims of the NSF is to ensure that older people are never unfairly discriminated against in accessing national health service or social care. The NHS makes it clear that NHS services should be provided, regardless of age, on the basis of clinical need alone.
	In addition, the NHS Constitution makes it clear that people will have the right not to be unlawfully discriminated against on the grounds of age once the Equality Bill comes into force.

Health Services: Males

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make an assessment of the merits of developing a national men's health policy.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government's key priorities are improving the health and well-being of the population and tackling health inequalities. The Gender Equality Duty, effective from 1 April 2007, necessitates the assessment of all new and existing policies to show they meet the differing needs of both men and women. Government are therefore constantly assessing the health needs of men when developing national health policies. The Department is considering whether there needs to be an additional focus on specific areas.

Heart Diseases: Health Services

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the performance against objectives of the 24/7 primary angioplasty service.

Ann Keen: The Department's new guidance on treatment of heart attack in England was published on 20 October 2008. A copy has been placed in the Library and can also be found at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_089455
	It is based on a feasibility study from which it was concluded that roll out of primary angioplasty across England would be feasible, that a 24/7 service was likely to lead to best outcomes and that acceptable times to treatment were 120 minutes from patients call for help and 90 minutes from arrival at hospital. An impact assessment suggested that roll out would be feasible in three years for 97 per cent. of the population.
	The status of this guidance is 'best practice' and so decisions about the pace of change are for local commissioners. The treatment times given are to guide local planning and local performance assessment. The Department has however worked with the national health service to put in place appropriate monitoring mechanisms to assess progress. A recent survey of the 31 cardiac clinical networks identified that 10 had achieved 24/7 coverage and that a further 18 had plans for the introduction of primary angioplasty.
	A plan of English cardiac networks can be found at:
	www.heart.nhs.uk/heart/CardiacNetworks/tabid/105/Default.aspx#ss

Heroin: Rehabilitation

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the merits of treatment of heroin addicts with morphine; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: As part of the Department-commissioned Drug Misuse and Dependence: UK Guidelines on Clinical Management (2007), the clinical guidelines expert group who developed the document commented on the potential role of slow release oral morphine (SROM) in the treatment of drug dependence. It stated that SROM is not licensed in the UK for the treatment of opiate dependence and should not normally be used in the community. A copy of the document has already been placed in the Library.
	However, the clinical guidelines expert group also acknowledged European research that has shown that SROM can be effective in treating drug dependent patients who 'fail to tolerate methadone' but recommended that it should only be used in the United Kingdom by specialist clinicians who have the necessary competencies to do so.
	Within UK clinical settings morphine is mainly used for the management of severe and chronic pain, especially in palliative care.
	The Department commissioned the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to examine and make recommendations on the most effective drugs for substitute opioid treatment. In 2007, NICE recommended methadone and buprenorphine as the most effective substitute opioids to be used in the treatment of opiate dependence.

Hip Replacements

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hip replacements were performed within the NHS in  (a) England and  (b) Sefton in each year since 2003.

Ann Keen: The number of hip replacements performed within the national health service in England and the number of patients having a hip replacement procedure whose general practitioner's post code is within the Sefton National Health Service Primary Care Trust area are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Sefton Primary Care Trust  England 
			 2006-07 601 89,254 
			 2005-06 553 84,914 
			 2004-05 518 82,919 
			 2003-04 522 82,230 
			 2002-03 393 77,052 
			  Notes:  Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector. Count of finished consultant episodes where the main procedure was a hip replacement procedure for Sefton Primary Care Trust of responsibility (formerly Southport and Formby NHS Primary Care Trust and South Sefton NHS Primary Care Trust prior to 2006-07) and England, 2002-03 to 2006- 07.  Source:  Hospital Episode Statistics, The NHS Information Centre for health and social care.

Hospital Beds

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many days each NHS hospital trust has been placed on its highest level of alert because of a shortage of beds since 1 November 2008.

Ben Bradshaw: This information is not held centrally in the format requested. The information may be available from individual trusts.

Hospital Beds

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many single bedrooms are provided for patient use by each NHS organisation according to estates returns information collection data;
	(2)  how many single bedrooms have been provided for patient use by each NHS organisation according to estates returns information collection data in each year since 1997-98.

Ann Keen: The information is not available in the format requested.
	Since 2002-03, the Department has collected annual data from national health service trusts on the percentage of the total number of available beds that are single bedrooms, through the Estates Returns Information Collection (ERIC). The actual number of single bedrooms is calculated by applying the percentage to the total number of available beds which is also collected by ERIC. The available data for each year since 2002-03 has been placed in the Library.
	The proportion of single bedrooms across the national health service estate in England has risen from 22.6 per cent. in 2002-03 to 30.7 per cent. in 2007-08.

Hospitals: Cleaning Services

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  on what date the deep clean of Driffield Hospital took place; and at what cost;
	(2)  on what date the deep clean of Bridlington Hospital took place; and at what cost;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of deep cleaning of NHS hospitals in reducing the incidence of MRSA infections.

Ann Keen: Deep cleaning is just part of a comprehensive range of measures to improve cleanliness and tackle infections set out in the strategy 'Clean, Safe Care: Reducing Infections and Saving Lives', a copy of which is already available in the Library.
	The national deep clean programme was overseen by strategic health authorities (SHAs). Information about the specific timing and cost of each individual trust's deep clean was not collected centrally. On 17 January 2008, a written ministerial statement confirmed that out of 328 trusts, 263 had started their deep clean and that the remaining 65 trusts all had agreed plans in place. My right. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health (Alan Johnson) made a further written statement on 21 April 2008 marking the end of the deep clean initiative for 2007-08. The same statement confirmed that SHAs had made available all the funding promised for the programme, a total of 62.5 million. The spend for Yorkshire and Humber SHA was 5 million.
	On completion of the national deep clean programme, SHAs took the lead in evaluating the impact of each trust's deep clean actions as each programme was different. It was recognised that no single measurement method would pick up all the benefits, particularly as trusts implemented a wide range of measures to improve cleanliness and tackle healthcare associated infections.
	The Department subsequently worked with SHAs to draw up examples of where a deep clean had had a demonstrable effect in improving patient care and experience. A compendium of good practice, 'From Deep Clean to Keep Clean' was published in October 2008 to form the basis of shared learning across the national health service. A copy of the compendium has been placed in the Library and is available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_089716

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in  (a) West Chelmsford constituency and  (b) England have had operations cancelled within a week of the scheduled date in the last 12 months.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department do not collect the number of operations cancelled within a week of the scheduled date of the operation.
	The Department do collect data on the number of operations cancelled at the last minute(1) for non-clinical reasons. Data on last minute cancellations for non clinical reasons for Mid Essex Hospitals NHS Trust and England are shown in the following table.
	(1) A last minute cancellation is one that occurs on the day the patient was due to arrive, after they have arrived in hospital or on the day of their operation.
	
		
			  Operations cancelled at the last minute for non-clinical reasons, Mid Essex Hospitals NHS Trust and England 
			   Quarter  Mid Essex  England 
			 2007-08 Q3 76 15,650 
			 2007-08 Q4 136 16,771 
			 2008-09 Q1 139 14,608 
			 2008-09 Q2 117 13,127 
			  Source: Department of Health QMCO 
		
	
	If a patient's operation is cancelled by the hospital on or after the day of admission (including the day of surgery) for non clinical reasons, the hospital will have to offer another binding date within a maximum of the next 28 days or fund the patient's treatment at the time and hospital of the patient's choice.

Incontinence: Medical Equipment

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many items of correspondence he received relating to the Review of Part IX of the Drug Tariff from members of the public in  (a) 2006,  (b) 2007 and  (c) 2008;
	(2)  when he plans to publish his Department's response to the most recent consultation on changes to Part IX of the Drug Tariff.

Phil Hope: The following table sets out the level of correspondence the Department received which related to the review of Part IX of the Drug Tariff.
	The majority of this information will have come from members of the public.
	
		
			   Number 
			 2006 1,063 
			 2007 1,254 
			 2008 2,842 
		
	
	Details of the new arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and urology appliancesand related servicesin primary care will be published shortly, together with a summary of the responses to the last consultation.

Mesothelioma

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what Government funding has been provided for research into mesothelioma in the last 10 years; and what funding for such research is planned over the next five years.

Dawn Primarolo: Over the last 10 years, the main part of the Department's research and development budget has been allocated to and managed by national health service organisations.
	Those organisations have accounted for their use of the allocations they have received from the Department in an annual research and development report. The reports identify total, aggregated expenditure on national priority areas, including cancer. They do not provide details of research into particular cancer sites.
	The National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI), a United Kingdom wide partnership between government, charities and industry, makes cancer research information available online via the International Cancer Research Portfolio database at:
	www.cancerportfolio.org.
	Details of current Departmental and Medical Research Council (MRC) site-specific cancer research can be found through this database.
	The MRC is one of the main agencies through which the Government supports biomedical research. The MRC is an independent body funded by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
	MRC expenditure over the last 10 years on lung cancer research, including research relating to mesothelioma, has been:
	
		
			million 
			 1998-99 0.3 
			 1999-2000 0.2 
			 2000-01 0.6 
			 2001-02 1.6 
			 2002-03 1.8 
			 2003-04 2.1 
			 2004-05 1.5 
			 2005-06 1.6 
			 2006-07 2.1 
			 2007-08 2 
		
	
	These figures include funding to the MRC Clinical Trials Unit for the clinical trials in lung cancer programme which included support for the MS01 trial (Active symptom control with or without chemotherapy for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma).
	The usual practice of the Department's National Institute for Health Research and of the MRC is not to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics: research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available. Future levels of expenditure on lung cancer research will be determined by the success of relevant bids for funding.

Motor Neurone Disease: Medical Treatments

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when he expects the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to produce guidance on the use of non-invasive ventilation in the care of those suffering from motor neurone disease;
	(2)  when the use of non-invasive ventilation in the care of those suffering from motor neurone disease was first proposed as a subject for National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance.

Dawn Primarolo: Non-invasive ventilation for the treatment of motor neurone disease was first proposed as a topic for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in January 2006. NICE currently expects to issue a short clinical guideline for this topic in early 2011.

NHS: Drugs

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reasons he has identified for the change in the number of prescription items  (a) dispensed in the community and  (b) dispensed in hospital since 1997.

Phil Hope: The reasons for the increase in number of prescription items dispensed in the community since 1997 are likely to include an increase in the numbers of patients being treated, improved access to medicines, the availability of additional treatments and demographic changes.
	Information on the number of prescriptions items dispensed in hospitals is not available, but we would expect to see an increase in the number of items dispensed in hospitals for similar reasons.

NHS: Reorganisation

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress his Department is making in bringing forward the pilot programme that was announced in the NHS Next Stage Review and the Primary and Community Care Strategy in 2008 to test and evaluate new models of integrated care; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: I refer my hon. Friend to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr. Lansley) on 26 January 2009,  Official Report, column 247W.

Out-patients: Per Capita Costs

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost per outpatient attendance was across all specialties in each year since 1997-98.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Average cost, based on Trust or Trust and PCT data submitted  Average cost per outpatient attendance across all specialties( 1 ) () 
			 1997-98 (2) (2) 
			 1998-99 Trusts only 56 
			 1999-2000 Trusts only 73 
			 2000-01 Trusts and PCTs 78 
			 2001-02 Trusts and PCTs 86 
			 2002-03 Trusts and PCTs 92 
			 2003-04 Trusts and PCTs 98 
			 2004-05 Trusts and PCTs 105 
			 2005-06 Trusts and PCTs 102 
			 2006-07(3) Trusts and PCTs 91 
			 (1) The effect of inflation has not been accounted for in these figures. Were the figures to be adjusted for inflation (using the latest GDP deflator), this would give an average real terms increase in average cost of around 3.6 per cent. per year. (2 )Out-patient attendance cost data was not collected in 1997-98. (3) 2006-07 is the most recent year for which data has been published.  Source: National Schedule of Reference Costs 
		
	
	There have been a number of changes to the reference costs collection during the period covered by these figures. They generally fall into two key areas: (i) changes to the scope of the data collected (for example, over time an increased number of treatment function codes (TFCs) have been collected), and (ii) greater disaggregation over time (for example, separately collecting non-consultant-led activity from 2006-07). The changes over time mean that it is difficult to make comparisons between years without fully understanding the underlying changes. The figures presented are based on the full scope of outpatient attendance costs collected in Reference Costs in each year, and are therefore the most accurate reflection of the average cost per outpatient attendance in each year, based on the data collected.

PatientPak

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 28 January 2009,  Official Report, column 627W, on PatientPak, 
	(1)  on how many occasions in the last 12 months NHS hospitals have provided in-patients with special soap and shampoo to prevent viral and bacterial infections;
	(2)  which proven antimicrobial formula is contained in the special soap and shampoo provided to in-patients by NHS hospitals to prevent viral and bacterial infections;
	(3)  under which circumstances NHS hospitals provide in-patients with special soap and shampoo to prevent viral and bacterial infections when such an infection  (a) has and  (b) has not been detected in a hospital.

Ann Keen: The decision to provide patients with antimicrobial soap and shampoo is a local one based on local infection prevention and control policies.
	Information on which products are used and how frequently is not collected centrally, however the antimicrobial compounds used in these products include chlorhexidine gluconate and triclosan as the active ingredients.

Pharmacy

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what percentage of all prescriptions issued  (a) in England and  (b) in each primary care trust area have been dispensed in instalments through repeat dispensing in each of the last two years;
	(2)  what proportion of prescription items were dispensed through repeat dispensing arrangements  (a) in England and  (b) in each primary care trust area in the latest year for which figures are available.

Phil Hope: Information is not held on the number of prescriptions issued, only on the number issued and then dispensed.
	In 2007 the proportion of all items prescribed in the community in England and dispensed in the United Kingdom through repeat dispensing arrangements was 1.4 per cent. of all items dispensed, taken from the Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system database. Figures for individual primary care trusts in the same period are taken from the Prescribing Analysis and CosT tool (PACT) system and have been placed in the Library.

Pharmacy

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a copy of the evaluation of patient drug record cards, referred to on page 35 of his Department's White Paper, Pharmacy in England, Cm 7431.

Phil Hope: A copy of An Evaluation of the Controlled Drug Recording System Pilot Final Report, commissioned by the Department and produced by the University of Birmingham Health Services Management Centre in March 2008, has been placed in the Library.
	A working group is considering how the issues identified in the report can be resolved and effectively implemented.

Prescriptions

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 1202-3W, on prescriptions, on how many occasions there has been a report of  (a) an incident of overdose with a controlled drug and  (b) other serious incidents reported to the Commission for Social Care Inspection involving a resident in a care establishment in Warrington; and to which individual service each report was made.

Phil Hope: The requirement for care homes to report incidents to the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) is set out in the Care Home Regulations 2001. Regulation 37 requires reports to be made to CSCI without delay of:
	The death of any service user;
	The outbreak in the care home of any serious infectious disease;
	Serious injury to a service user;
	Serious illness of a service user (other than in a nursing home);
	Any event in the care home which adversely affects the well-being or safety of a service user;
	Any theft, burglary or accident in the care home; and
	Any allegation of misconduct by the registered person or a worker at the home.
	If a serious incident is reported to CSCI under Regulation 37 of the Care Homes Regulations, which governs notification of death, illness and other events in care homes, it is followed up by the CSCI regulation inspector or regulation manager associated with that service. Depending on circumstances, they may refer the issue to the pharmacist inspector. It is one of CSCI's referral criteria to contact a pharmacist inspector and this may result in inspection of the care home and a resulting report with requirements and recommendations. If the overdose is a result of an incorrect prescription from the general practitioner, the pharmacist inspector will liaise via the local intelligence network through the national health service accountable officer at the relevant primary care trust, who will deal with the issue.
	We are informed by CSCI that there were 2,716 notifications to CSCI under Regulation 37 of incidents in care homes in Warrington in the years 2006 to 2008. The following table shows a breakdown of numbers of notifications between care homes. We are informed by CSCI that to extract the incidents involving overdose with a controlled drug from these notifications would involve disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Notifiable incidents under Regulation 37 (The Care Homes Regulations 2001)care homes in Warrington 
			  Care home name  Current status  2006  2007  2008 
			 Apple Court Care Home Registered 23 25 26 
			 Arlington House Registered 4  3 
			 Autism InitiativesLilford Court Registered   2 
			 Booths Hill House Registered 39 24 39 
			 Brookfield De-registered 14 15 6 
			 Brookfield Registered   12 
			 Calls Care Home Registered 56 70 54 
			 Cotebrook Registered 5 2 2 
			 Green Park Care Home Registered   18 
			 Green Park Care Home De-registered 61 76 31 
			 Heathercroft Care Home Registered 20 31 39 
			 Heathfield De-registered 7   
			 Heathfield Residential Home Registered 5 21 11 
			 Heath Lodge De-registered  19 9 
			 Heath Lodge Registered   13 
			 Heathside Registered 20 20 5 
			 Heathside Mews Registered 1 5 13 
			 High Peak Nursing Home Registered 26 23 21 
			 Holcroft Grange Registered 26 28 27 
			 Hollybush Care Home Registered 16 26 21 
			 Houghton Hall De-registered 38 27  
			 James Phoenix House Registered 1 2 2 
			 Keate House Registered 26 38 46 
			 Lodge Lane Nursing Home Registered 4 16 5 
			 Meadow View Nursing and Residential Home Registered 12 29 38 
			 Old Rectory Nursing HomeWarrington Registered 8 7 8 
			 Padgate House Registered 42 54 62 
			 Radcliffe Meadows Mental Nursing Home Registered 2 11 2 
			 Riverbank Nursing Home Registered 153 129 112 
			 Rose Villa De-registered 1  - 
			 Rosevilla Residential Home Registered 6 7  
			 St. Marys Continuing Care Registered 27 25 12 
			 St. Oswalds House Nursing Home Registered 24 46 12 
			 Summerville Nursing Centre Registered  20 42 
			 Summerville Nursing Home De-registered 26 1 1 
			 The Glen Deregistered De-registered 1   
			 Thelwall Grange Nursing and Residential Home Registered  4 15 
			 Thelwall Grange Nursing and Residential Home De-registered 11 8  
			 The Old Vicarage Nursing Residential Care Centre Registered 13 12 13 
			 Three Bridges Nursing and Residential Home Registered 18 42 21 
			 Three Elms Registered 31 26 21 
			 Warrington Community LivingTwiss Green Registered 8 3 5 
			 Waverley House Registered 8 14 18 
			 Westleigh Registered 1 3 1 
			 Westvale House Registered  29 47 
			 Westvale House Care Home De-registered 31 6  
			 Westy Hall Registered 29 17 35 
			 Wigshaw Grange Registered 1   
			 Woodleigh Registered 7 17 16 
			 Totals  852 978 886 
			 Grand total for 2006-08  2,716 
			  Note: Homes denoted as registered were registered with CSCI consequently operational at the time the data were prepared. Those denoted as de-registered were not. De-registration usually means permanent closure of a home. However, it may in some cases be temporary, for example when a care home is sold, or closed for refurbishment.  Source: CSCI database at 28 January 2009

Prescriptions: ICT

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescription messages have been issued using the electronic prescription service in each quarter since the service became operational; how many prescription messages  (a) were downloaded for dispensing,  (b) resulted in a prescription being dispensed and  (c) resulted in a prescription being dispensed expressed as a proportion of all prescriptions dispensed in the community in each such quarter.

Ben Bradshaw: In release one of the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS), an electronic message is transmitted to the EPS in parallel with a paper FP10 prescription form which is handed to the patient. The following table provides the number of electronic messages transmitted through the service since its inception.
	
		
			   Total number of EPS R1 prescription messages generated  Total number of EPS R1 prescription messages downloaded  Total number of EPS R1 prescription messages where dispensed status uploaded  Percentage of scripts generated via EPS subsequently shown as dispensed  Dispensed as a percentage of total scripts 
			 Pre-Q2 2007 16,595,257 304,668 259,547 n/a n/a 
			 Q2 2007 9,241,375 325,288 267,423 2.89 0.29 
			 Q3 2007 14,373,426 728,809 576,099 4.01 0.59 
			 Q4 2007 17,963,038 1,060,773 817,891 4.55 0.83 
			 Q1 2008 20,534,586 1,616,563 1,268,797 6.18 1.33 
			 Q2 2008 22,817,342 2,146,711 1,664,037 7.29 1.72 
			 Q3 2008 24,299,640 2,212,103 1,651,224 6.80 1.66 
			 Q4 2008 27,471,478 2,581,481 1,867,455 6.80 1.90 
		
	
	No data are held to show the total number of prescriptions generated by EPS that are actually dispensed. This is because the dispenser is not required to use EPS Release one to dispense. The figures available show how many were downloaded by the dispenser and the number where the dispenser uploaded the dispensing status.

Spinal Injuries: North East

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many beds are allocated for patients with spinal cord injury in the North East.

Ann Keen: The information is not collected centrally. This information can instead be obtained direct from the South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust.

St. John Ambulance Association and Brigade: South East

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times St John Ambulance provided an emergency response on behalf of the South East Coast Ambulance Service in each of the last 12 months.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is not collected centrally. The hon. Member may wish to raise his query directly with South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

Surgery: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of the number of patients in the London Borough of Bexley who have had operations cancelled within a week of the scheduled date in the last 12 months.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not collect the number of operations cancelled within a week of the scheduled date of the operation.
	The Department does collect data on the number of operations cancelled at the last minute for non-clinical reasons.
	
		
			   Quarter  Queen Mary's Sidcup NHS Trust  Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust  Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust  England 
			 2007-08 Q3 42 14 77 15,650 
			 2007-08 Q4 32 25 66 16,771 
			 2008-09 Q1 47 16 56 14,608 
			 2008-09 Q2 24 23 26 13,127 
			  Note:  A last minute cancellation is one that occurs on the day the patient was due to arrive, after they have arrived in hospital or on the day of their operation.  Source:  Department of Health QMCO.

JUSTICE

Civil Proceedings: Legal Costs

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions wasted costs have been ordered against the Crown Prosecution Service in magistrates' courts in each of the last five years; and what the total costs awarded were.

Vera Baird: I have been asked to reply.
	The following table provides a summary of the total number and value of costs awarded against the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in the last three financial years. Records for the preceding years are not available due to a change in the department's finance system.
	The CPS does not record the jurisdiction of the court making the order and therefore cannot disaggregate costs orders made in magistrates courts from the figures in respect of all courts.
	The CPS's records do not distinguish between awards made under section 19(1) of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 and regulation 3 of the Costs in Criminal Cases (General) Regulations 1986, which provides for awards of costs between parties, and those made under section 19A, which provides for the court to order costs, or decide it is not appropriate and disallow a legal or other representative from being liable for costs.
	
		
			  Costs awarded against the Crown Prosecution Service 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Value (000) 154 403 752 
			 
			 Number 378 262 333 
			  Note: Every effort has been made to ensure that the information is comprehensive and correct but a full reconciliation against the original transactions has not been performed because of time and cost constraints.

Coroners: Wiltshire

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the  (a) average and  (b) longest time was between a coroner being asked to hold a treasure inquest and the start of the inquest for finds from Wiltshire in 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: The Ministry of Justice collects statistics on the number of finds under the Treasure Act 1996 reported to coroners in England and Wales during each calendar year, the number of treasure inquests concluded during the year and, of these, the number of verdicts of treasure returned. Information is not collected on the time taken to conduct treasure inquests.
	The statistics show that 16 finds under the Treasure Act were reported to the coroner for Wiltshire and Swindon during 2007. 11 treasure inquests were concluded during the year, all of which resulted in a verdict of treasure.

Courts: Internet

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make it his policy for court transcripts to be posted on the internet; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: The Government have announced their intention to open up the criminal justice system through the power of the internet by publishing the outcomes of criminal cases on a public-facing website. Further details on this will be brought forward in the spring. However this will not, include court transcripts.
	The Government also plan to open up the family courts by increasing the amount and quality of information coming from the courts.
	At present, anonymised judgments of the Court of Appeal, and in some instances of the High Court, are made public. But this is not the situation for the county courts or the family proceedings courts, which deal with the bulk of family law cases.
	We have therefore decided to pilot the provision of written judgments when a final order is made in certain family cases.
	The courts in the pilot areasLeeds, Wolverhampton and Cardiffwill, for the first time, routinely produce a written record of the decision for the parties involved. In selected cases where the court is making life-changing decisions for a child, they will publish an anonymised judgment online so that the wider public can read it.
	Judgments from the Civil and Criminal Divisions of the Court of Appeal, including the Administrative Court, selected by the Judge concerned, are available at no charge on the British and Irish Legal Information Institute (BAILII) database. If a High Court judgment is not available by this means, the court can be contacted direct for a copy.

Crown Dependencies: Financial Services

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department takes to facilitate co-operation between Crown Dependencies and HM Treasury on financial regulation matters.

Michael Wills: There is regular contact at a senior level between officials in HM Treasury and the Ministry of Justice and between senior officials in the Ministry of Justice and the administrations in the Crown Dependencies. Where there is a need, Ministry of Justice officials ensure appropriate contact is made between HM Treasury and the Islands' administrations.

Departmental Impact Assessments

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many equalities impact assessments his Department has undertaken in the last 12 month period for which figures are available; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of such assessments.

Michael Wills: In 2007-08 the Ministry of Justice completed and published 1,606 Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs). The cost for EIAs is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Drugs: Crime

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) males and  (b) females who were (i) under 17, (ii) between 17 and 21, (iii) between 21 and 25, (iv) between 25 and 29 and (v) over 30 years of age were convicted of drug offences in the Chelmsford division of the Essex police force area in each of the last 10 years.

Maria Eagle: Information showing the number of males and females found guilty at all courts for drug offences in Essex police force area broken down by age is given in the following table. Court data are not collected centrally by police force division.
	The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	
		
			  Number of persons found guilty at all courts for drug offences, in the Essex police force area, 1998 to 2007, broken down by age and sex( 1, 2) 
			  Age  Sex  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004( 3)  2005  2006  2007 
			  Male 24 45 51 48 60 54 42 53 25 22 
			  Female 3 1 3  2 4 1 5 4 3 
			 10-16 Total 27 46 54 48 62 58 43 58 29 25 
			 
			  Male 240 241 205 221 244 223 158 133 120 92 
			  Female 20 16 19 18 13 13 11 16 7 8 
			 17-20 Total 260 257 224 239 257 236 169 149 127 100 
			 
			  Male 178 175 178 155 158 140 99 101 108 84 
			  Female 20 14 9 18 18 16 12 17 14 8 
			 21-24 Total 198 189 187 173 176 156 111 118 122 92 
			 
			  Male 222 195 181 148 130 132 109 103 117 79 
			  Female 28 28 18 18 9 16 10 16 28 19 
			 25-29 Total 250 223 199 166 139 148 119 119 145 98 
			 
			  Male 341 351 281 305 320 264 245 288 272 216 
			  Female 46 65 56 48 27 34 35 42 47 39 
			 30 and over Total 387 416 337 353 347 298 280 330 319 255 
			 
			 All ages  1,122 1,131 1,001 979 981 896 722 774 742 570 
			 (1) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2 )Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3 )Cannabis was reclassified from a class B to a class C drug in January 2004, which also saw the introduction of the cannabis warning as an out of court disposal.  Source:  Evidence and Analysis UnitOffice for Criminal Justice Reform.

Human Trafficking: Essex

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many  (a) adults and  (b) children in Essex were identified as having been trafficked in each of the last three years;
	(2)  what accommodation in Essex his Department and its agencies provide for those identified as having been trafficked into the UK.

Maria Eagle: The Government fund the Poppy project to provide adult victims that have been trafficked into sexual exploitation with safe, appropriate accommodation and a range of support services. Although the accommodation is based within the London region the project takes national referrals and provides an outreach service. This year's grant also includes a small flexible budget to temporary accommodate victims with other refuges if the project reaches capacity. We will be expanding the services available to adult victims of human trafficking this year.
	Responsibility for the care, protection and accommodation of child trafficking victims falls within the designated responsibilities of local authorities for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children under the provisions of the 1989 and 2004 Children Acts.
	Central Government do not hold a record on the number of victims identified as being trafficked by region. We are developing a national referral mechanism to help in the identification and referral of all victims under our implementation plans for the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. This will also provide a mechanism for more co-ordinated national data collection on identified victims.

Land

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  who the absolute owner of land is in  (a) England,  (b) Scotland,  (c) Northern Ireland,  (d) Wales,  (e) Cornwall and  (f) the Isles of Scilly;
	(2)  who has responsibility for land in  (a) England,  (b) Scotland,  (c) Northern Ireland,  (d) Wales,  (e) Cornwall and  (f) the Isles of Scilly under circumstances in which deeds to land have been lost.

Bridget Prentice: The Crown is the ultimate owner of all land in England and Wales (including the Isles of Scilly): all other owners hold an estate in land. Although there is some land that the Crown has never granted away, most land is held of the Crown as freehold or leasehold. If there is no other owner, land will belong to the Crown, the Duchy of Lancaster or the Duchy of Cornwall.
	The loss of title deeds does not alter the ownership of land or responsibility for it in England and Wales (including the Isles of Scilly). Title deeds are evidence of ownership of unregistered land. If the deeds have been lost, other evidence could be used to prove ownership. Title to registered land is derived from the register of title maintained under the Land Registration Act 2002.
	Responsibility for land law and succession law in Scotland and Northern Ireland is devolved. Questions about land law in these jurisdictions should be addressed to the Scottish Executive and the Department of Finance and Personnel in Northern Ireland respectively.

Legal Aid Scheme

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many firms undertook criminal legal aid work in  (a) 2002 and  (b) 2008.

Shahid Malik: The number of contracts held between the Legal Services Commission and solicitors' offices to provide legal aid under the General Criminal Contract was 2,909 at 31 March 2002. At 31 March 2008 the number of contracts held was 2,230. These figures do not include former providers with claims yet to be paid or those completing existing cases but not taking on new work.
	Before the introduction of the Unified Contract for crime work in July 2008, solicitor firms practising from more than one office needed to hold a separate contract for each office that provided legal aid. However, from 14 July 2008 there were 1,799 providers contracted under the new contracts to offer criminal legal aid through 2,274 individual offices. The LSC has continued to maintain 100 per cent. coverage of its police station and magistrates court duty solicitor schemes through these providers.
	The reduction in the number of contracts reflects the trend in the last several years of offices doing small amounts of legal aid work to drop out of the market or merge with other offices, so that the work is done in larger volumes at fewer offices. This has not affected the availability of legal aid to those that need it.

Legal Aid Scheme

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was paid by his Department for  (a) criminal legal aid work and  (b) other legal aid work in each of the last five years.

Shahid Malik: The Ministry of Justice funds legal aid through a grant to the Legal Services Commission (LSC). The following table shows the grant paid to the LSC in each of the financial years 2003-04 to 2007-08 for its provision of Criminal Defence Service (CDS) and the Community Legal Service (CLS). All criminal legal aid work is funded by the CDS grant, and all other legal aid work funded by the CLS grant.
	
		
			   million 
			   CDS  CLS 
			 2003-04 1,179 905 
			 2004-05 1,190 858 
			 2005-06 1,205 796 
			 2006-07 1,172 807 
			 2007-08 1,178 844

Prison Accommodation

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners there were in  (a) England and Wales and  (b) Winchester Prison on the latest date for which figures are available; what the maximum prison capacity in England and Wales is; and what the maximum capacity of Winchester Prison is.

David Hanson: At the end of January 2009, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 82,240 prisoners detained in all prison establishments in England and Wales and 701 prisoners in HMP Winchester. The useable operational capacity for all prison establishments in England and Wales was 84,902 and the operational capacity of HMP Winchester was 706.
	Operational capacity for establishments is the total number of prisoners that an establishment can hold taking into account control, security and the proper operation of the planned regime.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Sark

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department plans to take in response to the Court of Appeal ruling on 5 December 2008 in the case of R (Barclay and others)  v. Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice and others.

Michael Wills: In a letter to the Seneschal, the Minister for the Crown Dependencies, Lord Bach, has made clear that both he and officials in the Ministry of Justice expect to be kept informed of the progress made in reforming the role of the Seneschal.

Special Educational Needs: Tribunals

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many appeals have been made to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal in each of the last 10 years; and how many of those appeals were successful.

Bridget Prentice: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Range( 1)  Appeals Received( 2)  Appeals Registered  Successful( 3) 
			 1998-99 2,595 2,412 921 
			 1999-00 2,642 2,463 931 
			 2000-01 3,035 2,728 757 
			 2001-02 3,445 3,048 684 
			 2002-03 3,772 3,532 683 
			 2003-04 3,637 3,354 725 
			 2004-05 3,513 3,215 677 
			 2005-06 3,717 3,410 666 
			 2006-07 3,370 3,110 673 
			 2007-08 3,635 3,392 624 
			 (1) The data relate to academic years, September to August. (2) The SEND annual data are presented on the basis of: All Appeals Received and Appeals Registered. The Appeal Received data also include appeals received by SEND that fall outside of SEND jurisdiction. The Appeals Registered data include all the appeals that are accepted by SEND as falling within its jurisdiction and which are taken forward to hearing and disposal. (3) The successful decisions issued do not relate to appeals registered in that particular year; this figure will include appeals which were carried over from the preceding year. The registered appeals are those which could be decided i.e. those which were within jurisdiction and within the time limits in which an appeal must be lodged.

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Chelmsford Prison: Education

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many  (a) prisoners and  (b) young offenders obtained qualifications while at HM Prison Chelmsford in each of the last five years.

Si�n Simon: Qualifications at HMP Chelmsford are achieved by offenders in a variety of areas of the prison's work. Data are not recorded uniformly although we will improve this through the Learning and Skills Council's IT-based Learner Record system shortly to roll-out across prisons. As well as solving the longstanding problem of prisoner learner data not following them as they move from prison to prison, the new system will for the first time allow all learning outcomes, no matter by whom delivered in the prison, to be recorded on a single record for the learner.
	Health and safety qualifications are delivered in the prison's workshops. 109 qualifications were achieved in 2005, 350 in 2006, 305 in 2007 and 325 in 2008. A further 734 qualifications, including in textiles and engineering, have been delivered in the prison's workshops since 2005. Food hygiene qualifications are delivered in the prison kitchens, literacy and numeracy qualifications through Learn Direct provision, parenting qualifications through the Ormiston Trust, a variety of information technology qualifications through a Prison ICT Academy (PICTA) workshop.
	The physical education department at the prison has recorded the award of 272 qualifications in financial year 2004-05, 282 in 2005-06, 406 in 2006-07 and 438 in 2007-08. The information is not recorded by age.
	Learning and Skills Council data for the 2006-07 academic year shows a total of 52 individual achievements recorded by the offender learning and skills service provider at HMP Chelmsford, of which 15 were achieved by those aged under 21. Final data for 2007-08 are not yet available, but indications are that there were a total of 524 achievements, of which 191 were achieved by those aged under 21. We believe there was significant under-recording of achievements in 2006-07, which we have now taken steps to resolve.
	Prior to the 2006-07 academic year, education at HMP Chelmsford was provided by Norwich City College. Data from that period show there were 471 awards recorded against the HM Prison Service Key Performance Target for basic skills in financial year 2003-04, 1,123 in 2004-05, 1,241 in 2005-06 and 617 awards in the first four months of financial year 2006-07.

Departmental Impact Assessments

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many equalities impact assessments his Department has undertaken in the last 12 month period for which figures are available; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of such assessments.

Si�n Simon: In the last 12 months DIUS has undertaken four equality impact assessments. As this is part of routine policy development, I have made no separate estimate of the cost.

Departmental Plants

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much his Department has spent on  (a) pot plants and  (b) cut flowers in each year since it was established.

Si�n Simon: The Department occupies space in buildings that are managed by other Government Departments. The Department's contribution towards the cost of plants and flowers is:
	
		
			   
			 2007-08 517 
			 2008-09 1,722 
			 Total 2,239 
		
	
	This includes expenditure on plant displays and maintenance, purchase of Christmas trees and Remembrance Day wreaths and flowers, and cannot be further broken down between pot plants and flowers.

Departmental Recruitment

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many new recruits his Department took on in  (a) 2005-06,  (b) 2006-07,  (c) 2007-08 and  (d) 2008-09, how many of these were taken on as (i) permanent, (ii) temporary and (iii) agency staff; and what estimate he has made of the equivalent figures for (A) 2009-10 and (B) 2010-11.

Si�n Simon: The Department was created on 28 June 2007. 34 new recruits joined the Department up to 31 March 2008 and to date, 51 have joined since 1 April 2008. A breakdown of permanent and temporary staff could be produced only at disproportionate cost. The Department does not hold central records of recruitment campaigns as the majority of vacancies are managed locally by individual vacancy managers. A joint campaign was run on behalf of the DIUS and the Department for Children, Schools and Families for the Private Office in May 2008 which resulted in 16 executive officers being recruited on a permanent basis into the Department.
	The number of agency staff engaged by the Department since its creation is shown in the following table. January 2009 figures are not available yet.
	
		
			  Financial year  Agency staff 
			 July 2007 to March 2008 22 
			 April 2008 to December 2008 19 
		
	
	We have no reason to suppose that figures for permanent or agency staff will vary significantly in 2009-10 and 2010-11 but we will continue to review.

Forward Commitment Procurement Model

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what plans he has to develop the Forward Commitment Procurement Model for wider use in public sector procurement.

Si�n Simon: In November, DIUS launched the Innovation for Sustainability Competition to identify and develop Forward Commitment Procurement (FCP) projects in the public sector. The programme is designed to have a multiplier effect by creating a portfolio of FCP projects which can be used as exemplars and a broad base of public sector leaders and professionals who understand and can promote FCP approaches to sustainability and innovation.
	We are working with BERR and OGC to take forward the recommendations of the recent report by Anne GloverAccelerating the SME Economic Engine, including wider use of outcome-based specifications across the public sector, for example through use of FCP.

Special Educational Needs: Young Offenders

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure that when young offenders have previously been subject to a statement of special educational needs that the details of the statement are made available to the education department at the young offender's institution.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: I have been asked to reply.
	The Offender Learning Journey sets out our core expectations for the delivery of education and training for children and young people in YOIs. It requires that the education provider working in custody must work in partnership with other establishments, such as the young person's previous school, to obtain relevant educational information including any statement of special educational needs and any psychologist's report on previous learning difficulties. The Offender Learning Journey also requires all young people should be diagnostically assessed within 10 working days of entry to custody and should be screened for specific learning difficulties.
	The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill which was introduced into Parliament on 4 February includes a clause which places a new duty on local education authorities in England and Wales with youth accommodation in their area to secure suitable education for those children and young people detained in custody. In carrying out this duty, local authorities will need to have regard to young peoples' special educational needs or learning difficulties. This duty is subject to the successful passage of the Bill through Parliament.

Students: Loans

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many people defaulted on student loan repayments in each of the last five years; and what action was taken in relation to such people.

David Lammy: The data are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Student loan borrowers in arrears status at the end of each financial year( 1) , England 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08( 2) 
			 Income-contingent loan borrowers overseas in arrears 200 400 500 
			 Mortgage-style loan borrowers in arrears(3) 85,800 83,800 81,900 
			 Total borrowers in arrears(3) 86,000 84,200 82,400 
			 (1) Figures rounded to nearest 100. Consistent information is not available for earlier years. (2) Provisional. (3) Mortgage-style loan borrowers with accounts in more than one status may be counted more than once. Figures exclude mortgage-style borrowers deferring repayments due to income below the repayment threshold with arrears on their accounts. In March 2008, there were 6,500 borrowers in deferment with arrears.  Source: Student Loans Company. 
		
	
	Student loans taken out since 1 September 1998 have income-contingent repayment where borrowers repay at a rate of 9 per cent. of earnings above 15,000, usually collected by employers alongside income tax and national insurance contributions. It is not normally possible to default on these repayments, except where a borrower moves abroad and repayments are made direct to the Student Loans Company. In these cases, the company traces the borrowers and enforces the debt.
	Borrowers with the older mortgage-style loans repay instalments to the Student Loans Company whenever their annual income exceeds the repayment threshold, currently 25,936, usually through direct debits. The company takes a number of steps to trace borrowers who are not repaying and to bring their accounts into order, andas a last resortwill take cases to court. Exceptions are made for some vulnerable borrowers.

Vocational Training

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many businesses in  (a) the London Borough of Bexley,  (b) London and  (c) England have signed the Skills Pledge.

Si�n Simon: The Skills Pledge is a voluntary, public commitment by employers to support their employees to develop their basic skills, including literacy and numeracy, and work towards relevant, valuable qualifications to at least level 2 (equivalent to five good GCSEs).
	Since the launch of the Skills Pledge in June 2007 we have made excellent progress. The latest published figures up until November 2008, show that 12 organisations in the London borough of Bexley; 2,008 organisations in the London LSC region and 10,295 organisations in England have made the Skills Pledge. Please note that these figures include both public and private organisations.

TREASURY

Billing: Public Sector

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress his Department has made in ensuring that invoices for public sector contracts are paid within 10 days.

Angela Eagle: The Department has been monitoring its performance against the requirement to pay all invoices within 10 days. For the period between November 2008 and January 2009, 90 per cent. of invoices were paid within 10 days. All staff involved in the processing of invoices are receiving training and regular reports on directorate's performances are made to the Treasury Board and the Finance Committee.

Borrowing: Public Sector

John Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on the level of funding of the Government's borrowing needs.

Yvette Cooper: The Government's policy on funding the gross financing requirement is set out in the Debt Management Review 1995, published by HM Treasury and the Bank of England, which states that:
	Beginning in 1996-97, the Government has decided to introduce a new framework to financing... The Government will aim to sell sufficient gilts of any maturity, Treasury bills and National Savings products to finance the CGBR (plus maturing debt and any net increase in the official foreign exchange reserves). All debt such issuance will take place within a set maturity structure, to be determined and published each year.... The Government has no current plans to make significantly greater use than at present of short-term debt issuance....
	The most recent expression of this policy was set out in paragraph 4.1 of the Debt and reserves management report 2008-09, published alongside Budget 2008, which states that:
	The Government intends to continue to finance the central government net cash requirement (CGNCR) using the framework that was established in the 1995 Debt Management Review. The Government aims to finance its net cash requirement plus maturing debt and any financing required for additional net foreign currency reserves through the issuance of debt. All such debt issuance will take place within a set maturity structure...

Business: Government Assistance

Ian Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the merits of providing financial assistance to small and medium-sized businesses to meet their costs in respect of making redundancies during the recession.

Ian Pearson: The Government recognise the need of supporting small and medium-sized business during the recession. In the pre-Budget report on 24 November 2008, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a package of Government support for small and medium-sized businesses to help them through the current economic difficulties. Since then, the Government have been working alongside the banks, business organisations and financial organisations to ensure that we speedily transform this announcement into real help for business.
	On 14 January 2009, as part of the Government's Real Help for Business, the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform announced that businesses can now access the full range of support. In particular, the Enterprise Finance Guarantee is designed to help good businesses, who are currently not able to access the finance they need, to secure loans of between 1,000 and 1 million through the Government guarantee. This scheme will enable banks to open additional lines of credit worth 1.3 billion, available to businesses with turnover up to 25 million. It is available from a range of high street banks.

Child Benefit

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of increasing child benefit for the first child by  (a) 1,  (b) 1.50,  (c) 2,  (d) 2.50,  (e) 3,  (f) 3.50 and  (g) 4 per week above indexation in 2010-11 in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The estimated annual cost of increasing the first child rate by the requested amounts are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Estimated cost to the Department 
			   million 
			  Increasing child benefit for the first child by:  2010-11  2011-12  2012-13  2013-14  2014-15 
			 1 390 390 410 420 430 
			 1.50 590 610 630 650 670 
			 2 780 810 820 850 880 
			 2.50 980 1,000 1,040 1,070 1,100 
			 3 1,180 1,200 1,240 1,290 1,340 
			 3.50 1,370 1,400 1,430 1,490 1,550 
			 4 1,570 1,590 1,650 1,700 1,750

Child Tax Credit

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of increasing the child element of child tax credit by  (a) 10,  (b) 20,  (c) 30,  (d) 40,  (e) 50 and  (f) 60 per year above indexation in 2010-11 in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Estimates of the cost of increasing the child element of child tax credit by  (a) 10,  (b) 20,  (c) 30,  (d) 40,  (e) 50 and  (f) 60 per year above indexation in 2010-11 in each of the next five years are provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Estimated cost of increasing the child element of child tax credit per year 
			   million 
			  Increase in child element in 2010-11  2010-11  2011-12  2012-13  2013-14 
			 10 80 60 80 80 
			 20 140 140 170 170 
			 30 220 230 220 220 
			 40 310 310 310 310 
			 50 390 370 390 390 
			 60 450 450 510 500 
		
	
	Estimates for 2014-15 are not available.

Departmental Plants

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on cut flowers in each of the last three years.

Angela Eagle: Prior to May 2008, HM Treasury contracted a supplier to provide fresh cut flowers for the reception area.
	Details of spend on cut flowers is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Financial year   
			 2005-06 3,666.00 
			 2006-07 3,666.00 
			 2007-08 3,666.00 
			 2008-09 562.45 
		
	
	The contract to provide cut flowers was terminated in May 2008.

Departmental Training

Greg Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 28 January 2009,  Official Report, column 586W, on departmental training, what the  (a) cost,  (b) duration and  (c) nature was of each of the courses undertaken; and which Ministers attended each.

Angela Eagle: As I set out in my answer of 28 January 2009,  Official Report, column 586W, the three courses attended by Treasury Ministers in the period concerned were intended to enable Ministers to carry out their duties effectively in line with the Ministerial Code. Two courses lasted a day, and one 90 minutes. The total cost of the courses was 1,285. Identifying Ministers who undertake training would, or would be likely to, discourage participation in future training sessions, acting as a disincentive for Ministers to undertake formal professional development.

Loans: Energy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment the Government has made of the merits of provision of loan guarantees by nationalised and part-nationalised banks for energy infrastructure projects.

Ian Pearson: Government have taken measures to recapitalise the financial sector and recently announced a package of support to address the cash flow, credit and capital needs. Taken together, these measures will provide a significant boost to companies seeking finance.
	The Government are monitoring the effect of the current difficult economic circumstances on investment in large infrastructure projects.

Money Guidance Pathfinder Scheme

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the amount to be paid by his Department to AE4 in respect of its role as a face-to-face partner for the Money Guidance Pathfinder Scheme;
	(2)  which companies applied for contracts to act as face-to-face partners for the Money Guidance Pathfinder Scheme.

Ian Pearson: The 12 million Money Guidance pathfinder, jointly funded by HM Treasury and the Financial Services Authority, will launch this spring in the North West and North East of England. Delivery partners, which will offer Money Guidance on the telephone and face-to-face, were announced on 13 January. The Government cannot disclose the information requested about the tendering and contracting process for partners at this stage for reasons of commercial sensitivity.

Northern Rock

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the expected time scale for Northern Rock's repayment of its loans now is.

Ian Pearson: Last month, Northern Rock announced that in order to support the Government's policy to increase mortgage lending capacity in the market, it was slowing down the rate of mortgage redemptions and this will lead to it repaying its loan to Government at a slower rate.
	Northern Rock is currently ahead of its loan repayment target having, on a net basis, reduced the amount outstanding to the Government by 15.4 billion to 11.5 billion at 30 September 2008 (from 26.9 billion at 31 December 2007).
	Government are pleased with the progress Northern Rock has made in repaying the loan. We are working closely with the company to develop an updated strategy and business plan. A full statement will be made in due course once the strategic review is complete.

VAT

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect on  (a) businesses and  (b) the Exchequer of the doubling of value added tax (VAT) turnover threshold for the VAT cash accounting scheme in 2007.

Stephen Timms: The increase in the VAT cash accounting scheme threshold in 2007 was estimated to cost the Exchequer around 120 million in 2007-08, as published in table A1.1 of the Financial Statement and Budget Report 2007. This represents the amount of VAT receipts delayed from 2007-08 into 2008-09 as a result of increased membership of the scheme. The effect on individual businesses depends on their turnover and how quickly they make and receive payments in the course of their business activities. The overall benefit to business is equivalent to the cost to the Exchequer.

World Economy

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the US administration on the global economic downturn.

Ian Pearson: The Government's immediate priority are to continue to support the economy through these difficult times. As part of that, in addition to its regular monitoring of developments, HM Treasury has regular engagements with other Governments, including the US, on a range of issues relating to the economy.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Bookstart Scheme: Enfield

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children in Enfield North constituency participated in the Bookstart programme in each year from 2002 to 2008.

Beverley Hughes: It is not possible to provide figures broken down by constituency. Booktrust tell me that the total number of free Bookstart packs issued to parents of children in Enfield local authority between April 2002 and March 2008 follows:
	
		
			   Bookstart baby pack  Bookstart  and  packs  Bookstart Treasure Chest 
			 2002-03 4,000   
			 2003-04 4,000   
			 2004-05 3,000   
			 2005-06 3,300 3,630 3,520 
			 2006-07 3,300 3,630 3,520 
			 2007-08 3,300 3,630 3,520 
		
	
	Over the last two year period from 2006-08 we have provided 18 million for the Bookstart programme in England.

Children in Care

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many children in care from families resident in Scotland have been fostered through English local authorities in each year since 1999;
	(2)  how many children in care from families in Wales have been fostered through English local authorities in each year since 1999.

Beverley Hughes: Information on the number of children in care from families resident in Scotland or Wales who have been fostered by English local authorities in each year since 1999 is not collected centrally by the Department.

Children in Care

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children in care from families resident in England have been fostered under arrangements with  (a) Welsh and  (b) Scottish authorities in each year since 1999.

Beverley Hughes: There were 59,500 looked-after children in England at 31 March 2008, of which 42,300 were in foster placements. In total, 540 of the children looked after by English local authorities at 31 March 2008 were in placements outside England and 370 of these were in foster placements, this includes those in placements in Wales and Scotland. These figures exclude those children looked after under an agreed series of short-term placements.
	It is not possible to provide figures for earlier years or to give figures for Wales and Scotland separately due to data availability.

Children: Databases

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether ContactPoint will record whether a child has previously been subject to a child protection plan.

Beverley Hughes: ContactPoint is an online tool to enable delivery of co-ordinated support for children and young people and ensure that they do not slip through the net. It will be the quick way for practitioners to find out who else is working with the same child. It will contain basic identifying information about all children and young people in England, up to their 18th( )birthday, and contact details for their parents/carers and for services working with a child or young person.
	ContactPoint does not and will not record whether a child has previously been subject to a child protection plan, nor does it or will it hold any other case information. The data that can be held on ContactPoint is restricted by the Children Act 2004 Information Database (England) Regulations 2007.

Children: Databases

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the number of children whose information will be shielded on ContactPoint.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 9 February 2009
	As in my previous response to the hon. Member for Basingstoke (Mrs. Miller) on 29 January 2009,  Official Report, column 832W, we are not in a position at this early point to provide a definitive figure for number of records that may be shielded. However, early indications are that between a 100 records and 200 records on average may be shielded in each local authority.

Children: Poverty

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he expects to publish the initial results of the child poverty pilots announced in the 2007 Budget.

Beverley Hughes: The child poverty pilots announced in Budget 2008 will help lift children out of poverty and, importantly, will guide the Government as they work to eradicate child poverty. The pilots will run until April 2011. They will enable local authorities, and their partners, to use resources in the way that makes sense in their locality, test out new ideas and create an evidence base to inform the strategy to develop a sustainable solution to eradicating child poverty by 2020. Evaluation is an essential part of this process and we will ensure that all key findings are published and disseminated, including lessons learnt from the pilots as they progress.

Cross-Department Assessment Panel

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families who the members were of the cross-department assessment panel convened to assess bids for intensive intervention projects; and whether any members of the panel declared an interest.

Beverley Hughes: The assessment panel was made up of officials from Government offices, Youth Justice Board, CLG and Youth Taskforce. None of the people making the decision on the bids was an employee of the authorities or organisations being assessed.

Culture: Education

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans he has to provide all children with quality cultural opportunities in and outside schools; and what his Department's definition of quality cultural opportunities is.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Schools offer many cultural activities in the school curriculum, and there is much cultural activity taking place outside school and beyond the school day. The 'Find Your Talent' programme, launched in February 2008, will build on the cultural activities already taking place around the country, and work towards a position where all children and young people have the opportunity to access high quality cultural activities in and out of school. These will include: attending and taking part in top quality theatre and dance performances; attending national and local exhibitions, museums and heritage sites; learning a musical instrument and singing in ensembles; producing creative writing and artwork; and making films. 10 pathfinders are trialling ways of delivering a structured cultural offer. They will help us to establish what activities should be included, and how to define and ensure the quality of the activities. Young people will work with the very best of the professional cultural sector.
	The Learning Outside the Classroom Manifesto supports schools in offering extra activities to pupils, including creative and arts activities. A Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge will be awarded to provider organisations who have demonstrated that they meet six quality indicators. There is also a considerable amount of investment by the Government in culture and arts programmes such as Creative Partnerships and the support given to enable museums to run educational programmes.

Departmental ICT

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with reference to the answer of 28 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 101-02W, on departmental ICT, what the  (a) original expected cost was,  (b) original expected delivery date was and (c) current expected completion date is of each ICT project listed; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: With reference to the reply of 28 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 101-02W, on departmental ICT, I have updated the information given on a best-fit basis to show the  (a) original expected cost,  (b) the original expected delivery date and  (c) the current expected completion date of each ICT project listed. The costs shown are total project costs, which include ICT specific expenditure. The information is based on current plans and is subject to actual outturns. Some DCSF expenditure also includes elements relating to services provided to the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills following machinery of government changes that are not readily identifiable.
	
		
			  Project  Costs ( million)  Original expected cost  Original expected delivery date  Current expected completion date  Comments 
			 ContactPoint 224.00 224.00 Live service December 2008 Live service January 2009  
			   
			 e-Common Assessment Framework 44.00 44.00 Live service before end 2009 Live service first quarter 2010  
			   
			 National Strategies Contract 5.90 with agreed enhancements 5.50 April 2009 April 2009 Further enhancement of the content bank to improve accessibility 
			   
			 Schools RecruitmentCPP Shared Services 2.285 no spend yet 2.285 June 2009 Web-service for schools June 2009  
			   
			 Implementing e-Channels 34.30 22.90 February 2011 March 2013 Requirement changed and increased during the definition stage. The service delivery period has also been extended 
			   
			 Identity Assurance 11.00-15.00 11.00-15.00   Delivery timetable not yet fixedstill at planning stage 
			   
			 Corporate Services Transformation Programme 26.00 26.90 April 2009 Autumn 2009  
			   
			 GCAMinerva 18.00 26.00 September 2010 March 2009 Scope reduction

Departmental Recycling

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much  (a) paper,  (b) plastic and  (c) other waste has been produced by his Department in each of the last three years; and how much of that waste was recycled.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) was created on 28 June 2007.
	The Department and its predecessors can only provide an aggregate total for waste produced and recycled which includes cardboard, metal cans, glass, fluorescent tubes, batteries and toners. It does not hold separate information on the itemised waste products requested. The aggregate total also includes waste from other occupiers in the Departments' buildings which is not separately accounted for. The breakdown of aggregate waste produced and recycled for each of the last three years is as follows:
	
		
			  All weights are shown in tonnes 
			Recycled 
			   Overall total  Weight  Percentage 
			 2006/07 810.457 371.123 45.8 
			 2007/08 1447.793 1127.599 77.9 
			 2008/09 (to December 2008) 603.327 367.621 60.9

Departmental Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which external organisations his Department has engaged to provide training for fast stream civil service staff in the last three years; and how many civil servants in his Department have participated in provision of training for external organisations in that period.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department was created on 28 June 2007. The names of external organisations engaged to provide training for the staff in the fast stream are listed below:
	
		
			   Organisations 
			 2007 (from 28 June 2007) National School for Government 
			   
			 2008 National School for Government 
			  Stanton Marris Associates 
			  Westminster Explained 
			  Parity Training Limited 
			  PTS Consortium 
		
	
	The number of civil servants who have participated in training for external organisations since the Department's creation is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department spent on digital media training courses provided by the Internet Advertising Bureau in 2008; how many such training sessions were held in 2008; and how many staff in his Department attended at least one such training course.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department did not attend any courses provided by the Internet Advertising Bureau.

Departmental Travel

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what expenditure his Department has incurred in providing transport for Ministers between Parliament and departmental premises in each year since his Department was established.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport on 26 January 2009,  Official Report, column 6W. All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.

Fines

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether any administrative financial penalties may be levied by his Department.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: As a matter of general administrative policy the Department for Children, Schools and Families does not levy financial penalties against third party organisations or individuals.

First Aid: Education

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department is taking to improve the level of first aid training available to school children.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education provides children and young people with the knowledge and skills they need to make informed choices in a range of contexts related to health and safety. Children learn about basic and emergency first aid, as well as where and how to obtain health information, how to recognise and follow health and safety procedures and ways of reducing risk and minimising harm in risky situations.
	In October 2008, we announced our intention to make PSHE education statutory, in recognition of the key role it plays in equipping children and young people with the knowledge and skills they need to lead healthy and successful lives. At the same time we launched an independent review of how this might be achieved in the most effective and practicable way. Sir Alasdair Macdonald, the head teacher of Morpeth school in Tower Hamlets, is conducting the review and will report in April 2009. Proposals for the statutory implementation of PSHE education will be the subject of a full public consultation.

Free School Meals: North East

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children receive free school meals in  (a) the North East,  (b) the Tees Valley and  (c) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Information on free school meal eligibility for the areas requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Maintained nursery, primary a nd secondary schools: school meal arrangements  north east government office region, Tees Valley and Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland  parliamentary c onstituency , as at  January 2008 
			   Maintained Nursery and Primary Schools( 1)  Maintained Secondary Schools( 1, 2) 
			   Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals  Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 
			 North East Government Office Region 41,050 26,860 
			 Tees Valley 12,177 8,338 
			 Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland Parliamentary Constituency 1,542 900 
			 (1 )Includes middle schools as deemed. (2 )Includes City Technology Colleges and Academies. (3 )Includes dually registered pupils and boarding pupils  Note: Regional totals have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census

History: Education

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the teaching of history includes the history of other countries, including their perception of the UK.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The history curriculum at key stages 2 and 3 provide plenty of scope for students to learn about the history of other countries. At key stage 3 in particular students will investigate Britain's relationships with the wider world and identify and analyse different interpretations of the past. This learning is complimented by elements of the citizenship curriculum.

Intensive Intervention Projects

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what criteria his Department plans to use to assess the effectiveness of intensive intervention projects.

Beverley Hughes: The evaluation of Intensive Intervention projects will seek to identify which techniques are most effective for delivering the outcomes as described in the reply given to the hon. Member on 11 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1018W.
	This will include analysis of statistical data and the gathering of qualitative case studies.
	The tender for this work will be issued early in February 2009. The tender document will describe more fully the methodology and process for the evaluation.

Music: Education

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) unique visitors and  (b) hits the Sing Up website has received in each month since it was established.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The following table shows how many unique visitors and hits the Sing Up website has received in each month since January 2008the period for which these figures are available.
	
		
			   Unique visits  Total visits 
			  2008   
			 January 3,926 7,242 
			 February 5,749 10,995 
			 March 2,050 3,980 
			 April 7,680 16,143 
			 May 14,877 34,631 
			 June 30,563 63,597 
			 July 33,248 66,726 
			 August 54,184 75,225 
			 September 43,792 92,044 
			 October 35,640 72,040 
			 November 35,176 72,437 
			 December 30,163 56,614 
			
			  2009   
			 January 39,505 77,812 
			 February 8,523 12,892

National Assessment Agency: Ofqual

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what involvement Ofqual had in the procurement process that led to the award of the standard assessment test administration contract to ETS referred to at paragraph 2.50 of the Sutherland Inquiry report HC 62;
	(2)  for what reasons the meeting between the National Assessment Agency and Ofqual requested in May did not take place until July, as referred to in paragraph 6.96 of the Sutherland Inquiry report HC 62.

Jim Knight: The Department does not hold this information. Isabel Nisbet, acting chief executive of the Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator (Ofqual) has written to the hon. Member and a copy of the response has been placed in both the Libraries.
	 Letter from Isabel Nisbet, dated 9 January 2009:
	In his written response to you on the Parliamentary Questions listed above, the Minister of State for Schools and Learners stated that these were questions relating to the conduct of the new regulator Ofqual. He has therefore asked Ofqual to write directly to you in response to these questions. For ease of reference the questions were:
	(245825) To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, for what reasons the meeting between the National Assessment Agency and Ofqual requested in May did not take place until July, as referred to in paragraph 6.96 of the Sutherland Inquiry report, (HC 62).
	(245829) To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what the nature was of Ofqual's involvement in the procurement process that led to the award of the SAT administration contract to ETS referred to at paragraph 2.50 of the Sutherland Inquiry report, (HC 62).
	As you are aware Ofqual was created in April 2008 on an interim basis, within the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA). Before this time the regulatory functions were carried out by the Regulation and Standards Division of the QCA, and I was its Director.
	In PQ 245825 you have asked about the accountability meeting that Ofqual held with the National Assessment Agency (NAA) in July 2008. In dealing with the issues of delivery in 2008 Ofqual advised the NAA in May 2008 of its intention to hold an accountability meeting. Its purpose was analogous to that of the formal accountability meetings held with the GCSE and A level awarding bodies a week before the results of those examinations are due to be announced. At these meetings the awarding body is required to provide assurances that the code of practice has been followed, that all papers have been marked and that results will be available on time. It is also an opportunity for the regulator and the awarding body to highlight concerns about any aspect of the past series.
	With regard to the tests in 2009, Ofqual now holds quarterly formal accountability meetings with QCA, and the first of these was held on 2 December 2008. The third of these (planned for May 2009) will be an opportunity to bring together any emerging issues regarding problems with marking or preparation to deliver results.
	To answer PQ245829, as the Sutherland Inquiry states at paragraph 2.48 'although the Regulator had not been formally involved in the procurement process, they were in July 2006 asked informally about how proposed changes to the National Curriculum test process might impact the Code of Practice'. Regulatory requirements were taken into account. Copies of the Regulatory Framework and the Code of Practice were supplied to all bidders by the NAA. The Regulation and Standards Division also offered all bidders the opportunity to contact them with any further queries. As Director of Regulation and Standards I was a member of the QCA Executive at the time the contract was awarded.
	If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact me (contact details below) or Helen Knee on 024 7671 6705 and helen.knee@ofqual.gov.uk.
	I am copying this letter to Kathleen Tattersall, Chair of Ofqual, and to Jim Knight, Minister of State for Schools and Learners.

National College for School Leadership: Parking

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether the workplace parking charges being introduced by Nottingham City Council will be required to be paid by members of staff in whole or in part in respect of National College for School Leadership offices located within the workplace parking charging zone.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: No decision has been taken by Transport Ministers on whether to confirm Nottingham city council's workplace parking levy scheme order, and it would not be appropriate to speculate on the implications for the National College for School Leadership.

Pre-school Education

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of children were working securely within each assessment of the foundation stage profile in the areas between  (a) 0 and 10 per cent.,  (b) 10 and 30 per cent.,  (c) 30 and 50 per cent.,  (d) 50 and 70 per cent.,  (e) 70 and 90 per cent. and  (f) 90 and 100 per cent. on the index of deprivation in each year since 2005.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: holding answer 20 January 2009
	Information is only readily available for seven of the 13 assessment scales; these are personal, social and emotional development and communication, language and literacy. Further information on the proportion of children working securely within the additional six assessment scales and for earlier years can be compiled and checked only at a disproportionate cost.
	Information on the proportion of children working securely within these seven scales of the foundation stage profile in 2008, by percentile groups of deprivation, can be found in table D1 as part of the additional information for Statistical Release 32/2008 'Attainment by Pupil Characteristics, in England 2007-08':
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/sOQ0822/index.shtml
	The latest published foundation stage profile results for children working securely in these seven scales can be found in Statistical Release 25/2008:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsqateway/DB/SFR/s000812/index.shtml

Primary Education: Nutrition

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what guidance providers of healthy eating his Department has issued to Early Years settings.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage sets quality standards for learning and care for all settings looking after children aged from birth to five. This makes clear that where children are provided with a meal, snacks and drinks, these must be healthy, balanced and nutritious.
	Supporting guidance offers a range of information on diet and nutrition for children in the early years, and refers providers to other relevant sources such as the DCSF guidance on Healthy School Lunches for pupils in Nursery Schools and the Food Standards Agency website which provides information on age-appropriate nutrition for young children.

Schools: Furniture

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of health risks to children from incorrectly-sized or poor quality school furniture.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department has not made a specific assessment of health risks to children using poor quality or incorrectly sized furniture. Schools are responsible for choosing good quality furniture of the correct size for their pupils.
	The Department supports them in discharging this responsibility by raising awareness of the importance of buying furniture that is fit for purpose. We are supporting the development of an ergonomic furniture website tool to help users identify the appropriate size of furniture for each child. The delivery organisation for the Building Schools for the Future programme, Partnerships for Schools and DCSF are in the process of re-writing an output specification on furniture and equipment. This supports the expectation that furniture is specified to meet EN1729 (the new European standard for educational furniture covering both ergonomics and strength and stability). We welcome the British Educational Supplies Association agreement that all classroom tables will comply with EN1729 by April 2009.

Schools: Furniture

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will take steps to ensure that furniture purchased under the Building Schools for the Future programme conforms with the European Furniture Standard EN1729.

Jim Knight: The Department is working with Partnerships for Schools, the delivery agency for the Building Schools for the Future programme, on an updated comprehensive output specification on furniture and equipment. Within this specification, furniture which meets EN1729 is proposed as an expectation for those involved in the BSF programme. We know that members of the British Educational Supplies Association (BESA) have agreed that all classroom tables will comply with EN 1729 by April 2009 and we welcome this.

Social Services: Children

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which local authority children's services were placed in special measures in each of the last five years.

Beverley Hughes: 'Special measures' is not a term that the Department uses with reference to its engagement with local authority children's services. Ministers may take action to engage with and intervene in local authorities where there is evidence of weakness in performance, for example as the result of 'inadequate' Ofsted judgment(s) in annual performance assessments (APAs) and joint area reviews (JARs). Such intervention can take various forms, from offering external improvement support, enhanced monitoring and challenge through to issuing an improvement notice (IN) in more serious cases. In the most serious cases, the Secretary of State may decide to make use of his statutory powers of direction and intervention.
	In the last five years, Ministers have made use of their statutory powers of direction in relation to north-east Lincolnshire (2005), Stoke-on-Trent (2007) and Haringey (2008), and have issued improvement notices to Salford, Leicester City and Surrey. We have also intervened without the use of statutory powers or improvement notices in various local authorities, deploying a range of improvement support options, including external consultancy support teams, independently-chair improvement boards and enhanced monitoring arrangements. These authorities were:
	 2004-05
	Swindon
	Barnsley
	Cumbria
	 2005-06
	Sandwell
	Staffordshire
	 2006-07
	Bristol
	Isle of Wight
	Peterborough
	Plymouth
	Devon
	Herefordshire
	Medway
	 2007-08
	Dorset
	Hertfordshire
	Thurrock
	 2008-09
	Oxfordshire
	Lancashire

Special Educational Needs

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) primary and  (b) secondary mainstream schools were assessed as having inadequate provision for special educational needs in their most recent inspections.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in both the Libraries.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 2 February:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for a response.
	The inspection judgement relating to special educational needs sits within the Achievement and Standards judgement, 'how well learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make progress'.
	Since the introduction of the current school inspection framework (commonly known as section 5) in September 2005, 16,873 inspections have been carried out in primary schools. The progress of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities was judged to be inadequate in 467 (2.8%) inspections.
	During the same period, 3,455 inspections were carried out in secondary schools. The progress of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities was judged to be inadequate in 206 (6%) inspections.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Rt Hon Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.

Special Educational Needs

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many Key Stage 4 pupils who had  (a) a statement of special educational needs and  (b) unstatemented special educational needs attended (i) maintained, (ii) independent and (iii) independent special schools in each year since 1997.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The available information is shown in the table.
	Data on national curriculum year group are only reliable from 2003 onwards. Therefore data prior to this are not available. Information on KS4 pupils with special educational needs is not available for independent schools. Information is given for non-maintained special schools. Information on other types of special schools is not collected.
	
		
			  Maintained secondary schools, maintained special schools and non maintained special schools: number of pupils in national curriculum year groups 10 and 11 who had a statement of special educational needs and who had unstatemented special educational needs( 1) position in January each year 2003 to 2008England 
			   Maintained secondary  Maintained special schools( 2)  Non maintained special schools( 4) 
			   Number of pupils who had a statement of special educational needs( 3)  Number of pupils who had unstatemented special educational needs( 4)  Number of pupils who had a statement of special educational needs( 3)  Number of pupils who had unstatemented special educational needs( 4)  Number of pupils who had a statement of special educational needs( 3)  Number of pupils who had unstatemented special educational needs( 4) 
			   Year group 10  Year group 11  Year group 10  Year group 11  Year group 10  Year group 11  Year group 10  Year group 11  Year group 10  Year group 11  Year group 10  Year group 11 
			 2003 15,810 14,200 77,600 67,360 9,740 9,370 50 60 650 620   
			 2004 15,180 14,540 79,920 71,790 9,350 9,090 50 90 600 600 10  
			 2005 15,080 14,180 85,420 76,020 9,340 9,160 70 90 570 570 0 4 
			 2006 14,610 13,970 90,870 83,020 9,660 9,320 50 70 610 540   
			 2007 13,800 13,310 97,650 90,830 9,660 9,610 40 90 580 560 10 0 
			 2008 12,990 12,780 102,550 101,680 9,460 9,580 60 100 500 570 0 10 
			 (1) Excludes dually registered pupils. (2) In 2003 and 2004, may include some pupils recorded at statutory assessment stage. Includes middle schools as deemed. (3) Including general and special hospital schools. (4) Excludes general hospital schools. Data for pupils with SEN without statements is not collected from these schools.  Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census

Special Educational Needs

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many maintained special schools there were in each local authority are in each year since 1997.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 3 February 2009,  Official Report, columns 1072-73W.

Special Educational Needs: Leeds

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils with special educational needs are in maintained  (a) primary schools,  (b) secondary schools and  (c) special schools in Leeds West constituency.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The requested information has been provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Maintained primary, state-funded secondary and all special schools: pupils with special educational needs with and without statements( 1) ,  position in January 2008 
			  Leeds West parliamentary constituency 
			   Pupils with SEN with and without statements( 2,3,4) 
			 Maintained Primary Schools(5) 1,408 
			 State-Funded Secondary Schools(5,6) 1,006 
			 All Special Schools 148 
			 (1) Excludes dually registered pupils. (2) Includes pupils at School Action and School Action Plus. (3) Includes pupils with statements in general hospital schools. (4) Excludes pupils with SEN but without statements in general hospital schools. (5) Includes middle schools as deemed. (6) Includes City Technology Colleges and Academies.  Note: Data for pupils with SEN without statements is not collected from these schools.  Source: School Census

Special Educational Needs: Private Sector

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which independent special schools have opened in each of the last 10 years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The number of independent schools catering wholly or mainly for pupils with special educational needs which opened between 1 September 1998 and 31 August 2008 is as follows:
	
		
			  Academic Year  Number of schools opened 
			 1998-99 19 
			 1999-00 14 
			 2000-01 19 
			 2001-02 18 
			 2002-03 22 
			 2003-04 11 
			 2004-05 39 
			 2005-06 92 
			 2006-07 66 
			 2007-08 70 
			 Total 370

Special Educational Needs: Pupil Exclusions

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils with special educational needs were given a fixed-period exclusion from primary schools in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by reason for exclusion.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The information provided shows the number of fixed period exclusions (and not number of pupils) broken down by SEN and reason for exclusion. Pupils can be excluded more than once and these can be for different reasons.
	
		
			  Maintained primary schools( 1)  number of fixed period exclusions by special educational needs and by reason for exclusion 2006-07 England 
			   Pupils with SEN 
			 Physical assault against a pupil 8,660 
			 Physical assault against an adult 5,810 
			 Verbal abuse/threatening behaviour against a pupil 1,980 
			 Verbal abuse/threatening behaviour against an adult 4,620 
			 Bullying 330 
			 Racist abuse 250 
			 Sexual misconduct 200 
			 Drug and alcohol related 40 
			 Damage 710 
			 Theft 220 
			 Persistent disruptive behaviour 11,720 
			 Other 2,380 
			 Total 36,920 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed.  Note: Totals may not appear to equal the sum of component parts because numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census.

Teachers: Crimes of Violence

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps the Government is taking to reduce levels of verbal and physical abuse towards teachers in primary schools.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Any verbal or physical abuse against school staff is totally unacceptable. While the overwhelming majority of schools are orderly places, the Government recognise that a small minority of pupils present challenging behaviour problems and back schools' authority to intervene to tackle bad behaviour and to stop problems from spiralling out of control.
	Much has been done to protect teachers, in terms of promoting good practice to help reduce violence through behaviour management and school ethos, and through giving schools stronger legal powers to discipline and use legally reasonable force to restrain pupils. We are also helping schools form partnerships with other schools, police and other agencies to strengthen behaviour management.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Maternal Morbidity

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to reduce maternal morbidity in developing countries.

Ivan Lewis: Reducing maternal ill-health is the most off-track MDG and therefore a priority in DFID's country and global-level work. DFID has committed to spend 6 billion up to 2015 on health systems strengthening. The UK strategy has four priorities: Advocacy: Scaling-up evidence-based interventions; addressing the social and economic barriers to maternal health and developing new knowledge.
	Advocacy gives voice to disempowered and vulnerable women. Scaling-up expands health services and the availability of neglected high impact interventions, safe abortion and contraception. We also invest in increasing girls' education, improving women's rights and increasing research capacity in developing countries.

Thailand

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans his Department has for aid to Thailand.

Michael Foster: We have no plans for bilateral aid to Thailand, which is a successful middle-income country. We are, however, providing this financial year 1 million to the Thailand Burma Border Consortium to assist Burmese refugees in Thailand and internally displaced people in Burma, and 220,000 to three Burmese non-governmental organisations working in north-east Thailand. We are considering proposals for future assistance to organisations on the Thailand-Burma border.

Loans

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what monitoring his Department has undertaken of the provision of development-related small loans and microfinance initiatives in developing countries in the last 12 months.

Michael Foster: DFID recognises the potential of microfinance to reduce poverty and contribute to the achievement of the millennium development goals. We are keen to ensure that the availability of microfinance is sustained through present global economic conditions.
	DFID supports the overall monitoring of microfinance through the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), a multi-donor partnership working to expand access to finance to which DFID provided 250,000 in the current financial year. DFID contributes to, and relies upon CGAP's surveys of microfinance programmes. We are maintaining close contact with CGAP to monitor evolving trends in the context of the current financial crisis.

Guyana

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development in what ways his Department is working with the government of Guyana to promote the preservation of the rainforest in that country.

Michael Foster: DFID contributed 100,000 to work by Guyana on a low carbon investment prospectus and implementation plan, including a costing of conserving Guyana's rainforests. The World Bank's Forest Carbon Partnership Fund (to which the UK contributed 15 million) is preparing a reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation readiness plan. Guyana is included in the Caribbean Regional Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, and also likely to be part of the Caribbean Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (part of the climate investment funds to which the UK is contributing 250 million). DFID Officials regularly discuss forest protection with their Guyanese counterparts.

Anti-retroviral Therapies

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to encourage pharmaceutical companies to develop infant formulae for anti-retroviral therapies for use for children in developing countries.

Ivan Lewis: DFID is supporting a major five year clinical trial implemented by the Medical Research Council (MRC) in Uganda and Zimbabwe, on the best ways to provide antiretroviral drug treatment for infants and children with HIV. Based on this work, new triple formulations for babies and small children were recently approved and are now being distributed to children in Africa. DFID also funds the work of UNITAID and the Clinton Foundation, aimed at developing and facilitating access to new paediatric drug formulations for tuberculosis and HIV.

Zimbabwe

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe.

Ivan Lewis: The humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe is dire. Around 70,000 people have been affected by the country's worst ever cholera outbreak and over 3,000 have died. Water and sanitation systems and the health service are collapsing. Over six million people are receiving food aid and HIV/AIDS continues to decimate households. The international community is doing all it can to alleviate the situation and support ordinary Zimbabweans. The UK will provide 47 million in life-saving support this year and is one of the leading donors in the cholera response and the UN food programme. None of this aid goes through government of Zimbabwe systems.

Global Economic Downturn

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the global economic downturn on the conditionality of international development aid; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: We have no plans to change the UK's conditionality policy. We assess whether partner governments show commitment to tackling poverty, upholding human rights and managing public money wisely. We may, and do, interrupt or stop aid if these commitments are breached.
	The International Monetary Fund's emergency support to the economic crisis is being provided either unconditionally or with conditions limited to actions essential for ensuring stability.
	The World Bank also provides increased lending when other sources of finance are constrained. All its programmes conform to its 2005 Good Practice Principles on Conditionality, which is regularly monitored.

Gaza

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Douglas Alexander: The United Nations, with others, has recently completed a rapid needs assessment to determine immediate humanitarian needs and to inform the UN flash appeal which is available at:
	http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/EDIS-7NVP4B?OpenDocument
	Further assessments are currently under way and a more detailed assessment is expected to be completed by the end of February.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent reports he has received from the Mines Advisory Group on the types of unexploded ordinance it has removed from schools in Gaza.

Douglas Alexander: There are 157 UNICEF-supported schools in Gaza, and work with the Palestinian Ministry of Education identified 40 as high risk in terms of potential unexploded ordnance (UXO) contamination. These schools have been visited by technicians from the Mines Advisory Group (MAG). During this clearance 40mm high explosive grenades, as well as 81mm and 120mm high explosive mortars, were removed. Remnants of exploded ordnance were also taken away, including parts of Hell Fire missiles and 155mm high explosive and white phosphorous artillery shells.

Sri Lanka: Politics and Government

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka.

Michael Foster: We monitor the situation through our high commission and other sources and by field visits. In October 2008 we announced 2.5 million of humanitarian funding through international agencies. We are sending another humanitarian assessment mission this week and have agreed a further 2.5 million humanitarian funding. We share the widespread concern at the plight of civilians trapped by the fighting and have called on both sides to cease fire and allow humanitarian access.